How Watch Duty became the go-to wildfire app to track L.A. wildfires

Author of the article:

Washington Post

Shira Ovide, Heather Kelly, The Washington Post

Published Jan 10, 2025  •  4 minute read

A picture from inside a house is pushed out a front door by gushing water as Orange County and Los Angeles County firefighters work to save homes within the Palisades Fire zone. Photo by Melina Mara /The Washington Post

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 1.4 million new users since Tuesday. It’s Apple’s most downloaded free iOS app.

Article content

Article content

Article content

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.

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.

One expert after another said Watch Duty is their go-to resource for information, including maps of wildfires, the activities of firefighting crews, air-quality alerts and official evacuation orders.

Article content

Article content

“It’s the app I now use the most, and I really like it,” said Michael Gollner, an engineering professor at the University of California at Berkeley whose research focuses on wildfires.

Even if you’re not at risk from wildfires, we’ll probably all deal with natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, blizzards or extreme heat.

How to use Watch Duty

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 more than 150 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 more than 20 states.

Article content

Anthony Zarate in Spokane, Washington, is a Watch Duty fan and recommended the app to neighbours during a wildfire in the area last year.

Zarate said Watch Duty spares him from hunting through local news reports, public safety notifications, online posts and other sources. “It takes the best parts of social media and public services and puts it all in one spot,” Zarate said.

Experts such as Gollner say Watch Duty is useful to keep tabs on fires to stay vigilant, but it’s not a substitute for official information or government evacuation orders.

Isaac Sanchez, deputy chief of communications for the California firefighting agency known as Cal Fire, said unofficial sources of information such as Watch Duty might lack the nuance or context of governments’ public communications.

Article content

“Whatever you choose to do to enhance your situational awareness, Cal Fire supports,” Sanchez said. “Just be aware that sources you listen to may be unofficial.”

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

Watch Duty’s app does show when information is from its staff or volunteers, called “reporters,” and when it’s from an official source, such as Cal Fire.

No information source is completely reliable. Mobile phone, power and internet service can fail during fires and cut people off from communications. Gollner also said people shouldn’t become complacent if a wildfire is far from them. Fire and wind conditions can change quickly.

The origins of Watch Duty

More than a decade ago, Mills started a software company that helped chain restaurants with tasks such as food safety checklists. In 2019, Mills bought property north of San Francisco that he expected to be a future home. He stayed there when the pandemic hit in 2020.

Article content

During wildfires that year, Mills said he didn’t have enough information about what was happening and what to do. He found himself glued to social media posts from hobbyists who compiled wildfire information from public safety communications that are streamed online.

Mills said the idea for Watch Duty came from his experiences, his discussions with community groups and local officials – and watching an emergency services center struggle with clunky software for dispatching help.

He put in $1 million of his money to start Watch Duty and persuaded people he knew in Silicon Valley to help him write the app’s computer code. Mills also recruited some of the people who had built social media followings for their wildfire posts.

Article content

In the first week that Watch Duty was available in three California counties, Mills said, the app had tens of thousands of users. It has now been downloaded more than 4 million times.

Watch Duty is a nonprofit. Members who pay $25 a year have access to extra features such as flight tracking for firefighting aircraft.

Mills wants to expand Watch Duty to cover other types of natural disasters. “I can’t think of anything better I can do with my life than this,” he said.

Other ways to stay informed

Sign up for emergency alerts in your area: California residents can use the Ready for Wildfire site to sign up for emergency alerts. Or search the web for the name of your county and “emergency alerts.”

In some counties, you can text your Zip code to 888777 to sign up for local public safety text alerts through Nixle. Read more about emergency alerts here.

Follow your local police and fire department on social media: Sanchez said it’s important to keep tabs on official information, including from Cal Fire’s website.

Use information sources like local news: Gollner has a list of wildfire resources here. Google Maps also shows wildfires, which can be helpful to stay informed before you travel.

Listen to local officials no matter what: “If you’re ever being told to evacuate by emergency personnel, do it. Don’t wait,” Gollner said.

Article content