Washington Post [unpaywalled]: “Struggling to keep track of fast moving wildfires and the latest evacuation zones, residents of Los Angeles are rushing to download a free app called Watch Duty. The company said it had gained more than 1.6 million new users since Tuesday, the vast majority in LA County. It’s Apple’s most downloaded free iOS app. A nonprofit mostly run by volunteers and on a shoestring budget, Watch Duty has become one of the most trusted sources of information about wildfires, according to users. In addition to providing real-time alerts, its app and site are filled with maps that show information to help people in danger zones, like active fire perimeters, evacuation warnings and power outages. Even emergency responders use it. “We’re in every single firefighter’s pocket,” said Nick Russell, Watch Duty’s vice president of operations. It started in 2021 as a passion project of a Silicon Valley start-up founder, John Mills. He moved to a wildfire-prone area in Northern California and felt terrified by how difficult it was to find reliable information about fire dangers. Watch Duty is an example of technology turbocharging the expertise of government officials and hobbyists to keep us informed and safer during crises…”

Watch Duty pulls together official sources, such as law enforcement news briefings and video camera feeds of fires and information compiled by skilled staff members and volunteers who listen to public safety radio communications. (Some of them are retired firefighters or other public safety personnel.) In the app’s feed, Watch Duty tries to compile and make sense of the jumble of information. You can sign up for free wildfire notifications for counties in 22 states…”