Watch Duty app founded in Bay Area sees record downloads for LA wildfire information
The app launched in 2021 and now has 7 million active users with more than a million downloads in the past 24 hours.
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- In the North Bay, a wildfire alerting app founded in Sonoma County has been a vital tool for those escaping the catastrophic wildfires burning in Southern California. Watch Duty now serves millions of users in the west and just in the past 24 hours, the free app has seen some record downloads.
A path of wildfire destruction in Southern California is still forcing people from their homes, but some residents have been unsure where to go.
"On the first night, we saw some of the major evacuation systems failing due to the traffic volume in Los Angeles," said Nick Russell.
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Russell is VP of operations for Watch Duty, a free fire-tracking app run by a North Bay nonprofit. It combines real-time radio scanner information and wildfire cameras with publicly available maps of fire incidents and weather alerts.
"Showing the surface wind on the map, showing the evacuation zone on the map, showing the evacuation zone where the fire is. Putting the entire story from multiple locations into one place that anyone can use," Russell said.
Russell says Watch Duty uses a team of staff and volunteers who are monitoring fire events 24/7 and can send alerts.
The app launched in 2021 and now has 7 million active users with more than a million downloads in the past 24 hours.
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"It's mind-boggling to be ahead of ChatGPT, looking at a solution that was built to get information to the community for wildfire info," Russell added.
Russell says he's now hearing from app users who say info Watch Duty is providing has been nothing short of live-saving.
"We're getting inundated with messages from user base, telling how we gave them extra minutes they need to get pets, loved ones who need assistance and get out prior to receiving an evacuation order," he said.
Watch Duty once served users in Sonoma, Lake and Napa counties. It now provides fire information in 22 western states.
