California residents can now use the free AwareCA app for near real-time wildfire maps, evacuation zone information and location-based push notifications, according to CAL FIRE.

The app, called AwareCA, pulls verified updates from fire agencies managing incidents on the ground. It covers wildfires, floods, earthquakes, hazardous materials spills and other large-scale emergencies statewide.

Cal Fire Director Joe Tyler said the agency's website drew 100 million views in 2025, most from people seeking wildfire information. "We know the public wants fast, accurate, mobile-first information directly from the agencies managing incidents on the ground," Tyler said in a Cal Fire statement published by the Contra Costa Herald.

All features are free. The app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Users can add locations of interest, set notification distances and choose which hazard layers to display. One feature lets users track emergency aircraft and their flight paths in 3D, KTLA reported.

Cal Fire spokesman Tyree Zander told the Mercury News that updates posted to the app are vetted by public safety personnel. Agencies already using the platform include the Los Angeles City Fire Department, the U.S. Forest Service, Ventura County Fire and San Diego Fire and Rescue.

Rick Carhart, a Cal Fire-Butte County public information officer, told the Chico Enterprise-Record the app speeds up how quickly information reaches the public. Updates will post whenever there is something new to report, he said, rather than on a twice-daily schedule, as published by GovTech.

Intterra developed AwareCA in partnership with California public safety agencies. Cal Fire says the app can handle millions of users while each agency keeps control of its own data.

Walnut Creek sits near wildland-urban interface areas where fire risk is elevated. The city's residents already have access to the Contra Costa County Community Warning System (CWS), an all-hazards alert platform maintained by the Sheriff's Office that sends phone calls, texts and emails. A 2023–2024 Contra Costa County Civil Grand Jury report found only about 30% of county residents had signed up for CWS.

AwareCA supplements but does not replace CWS or other official emergency alerts. The app's developer has said that in an actual evacuation, residents should follow instructions from local fire and police agencies first.

Separately, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D-Orinda) secured $1 million for Contra Costa County in September for wildfire and evacuation modeling tools, including testing of contraflow operations and Red Flag Day parking restrictions, according to Contra Costa News.

Residents can download AwareCA and enable notifications at Aware.ca.gov.