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Watch Duty , an app to track wildfire with live maps and alerts , has become the No . 1 free app in Apple ’s App Store as of Wednesday morning . The ardour - tracking app exceed the ChatGPT app for the No . 1 maculation as annihilating fervour continue to rage across Southern California . ChatGPT had been in the No . 1 spot in the U.S. since August 9 , according to app intelligence operation provider Appfigures .
learn Duty has been around since 2021 and says it ’s used by firefighters and first responders across the western United States .
The Watch Duty app pulls information about active wildfire from a web of alive and retired firefighters , first responders , official politics reports , and volunteer newsperson who monitor radio image scanner around the clock . While other fire - tracking apps solely bank on governance alerts , Watch Duty claims to have more real - time information . However , it ’s crucial to remember the app is not a replacement for official information .
Downloading the app will show you wildfires in your immediate field , and alarm you about nearby fire , emptying warnings , and firefighting efforts .
you could also use the app to assure in other areas , which may be especially helpful if you have loved ones in Southern California .
The fire - tracking app shot to the top of the charts Wednesday dayspring as more than 70,000 hoi polloi in and around Los Angeles county face evacuation decree from the Palisades Fire near Santa Monica and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena . At the time of writing , the Associated Press report thatthe fires have destroyed more than 1,000 structuresand killed at least two hoi polloi . The fires stay on to rage , tug by a ferocious windstorm affecting the surface area , with flatus top out at 100 miles per hour .
“ ally in LA : Download the Watch Duty app to track the fire in existent time , ” said Ryan Petersen , the CEO of Flexport , in atweeton Tuesday . “ It ’s the prescribed wild fire app used by the firemen in California with very granular material time updates , video feeds and evacuation maps . ”
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Friends in LA : Download the Watch Duty app to track the fire in genuine meter . It ’s the prescribed idle ardour app used by the firemen in California with very granular real time updates , video provender and evacuation map . stick around safe . You have no conception of how fast fire can spread til …
The app ’s founder and CEO , John Mills , toldThe Washington Postearlier this twelvemonth that he started Watch Duty after affect to a flak - prostrate area of Northern California .
Update : This floor to begin with put out January 8 and was update on January 9 to include how long ChatGPT had been in the top spot .
