Ever since the deadly wildfires began in Los Angeles two weeks ago, residents have largely turned to one app for the most up-to-date information.

It's called watch duty.

And Stephanie Sye spoke to two members of the small team who make it possible.

Smoke filled the sky above Saker Padmanabin's Los Angeles home on January 8th, winds gusting around him.

Just a day earlier, the Palisades fire began its deadly march across the Santa Monica Mountains.

As a staff reporter for watch duty, Padmanabin had a job to do.

We noticed it and saw it start and we saw it kind of

take off and then we assigned more people because it got bigger and bigger and bigger.

Watch duty provides real-time updates and notifications from official sources during wildfires.

The free app has interactive maps, allowing users to track evacuation

zones, shelter locations, live camera feeds, and fire perimeters, as well as information

about containment on specific fires. The core team is small, about 15 paid staff. The operation

also relies on some 200 volunteers.

It was really tough. You know, we had people sleeping in shifts. We had people who were up for 24 hours or more.

All of our work is designed to give people as much time as we can to give them an informed

our ability to make decisions.

During the Palisades and Eaton fires, the app was indispensable, not just for residents,

including celebrities like Jimmy Kimmel.

I downloaded that watch duty app.

But also officials.

Watch duty's map was projected on a wall in Los Angeles's emergency operations

center earlier this month. Shortly after the fires exploded, another blaze threatened homes near

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