The Watch Duty app provides current information about wildfires across the West.

Wildfires have spread fast in Northeastern Oregon this summer, sometimes blackening multiple miles of ground in as many hours.

The Watch Duty app is only slightly slower.

There are multiple apps and websites that track wildfires across the nation.

Watch Duty is among my favorites.

I appreciate its promptness.

But more so I like that it’s accurate.

When the wind is gusting and smoke obscures any view longer than the length of a suburban lot, the flurry of rumors tends to fly at its thickest.

But the volunteers who update Watch Duty, among them retired firefighters, law enforcement officials and journalists, are selective in their sources.

According to the Watch Duty website — app.watchduty.org — the volunteers post information from official sources such as local, state and federal agencies.

During the rash of fires that have scorched more than 1,000 square miles over the past few weeks, I had Watch Duty tabbed on my desktop computer and its notifications activated on my phone.

Combined with other reliable sources such as wildcad.net and, most importantly, local officials who I know, Watch Duty has helped with my reporting for the Baker City Herald and EO Media Group.

My 13-year-old son, Max, has taken to the app, too.

Several times he has told me about a new fire that showed up on Watch Duty, or an update in the size of an existing blaze.

Watch Duty is also free.

The nonprofit is based in Santa Rosa, California. Watch Duty covers 13 states, mainly in the West, including Oregon, Idaho, Washington, California, Nevada and Montana.

Watch Duty does accept donations, and offers a membership for $25 per year.