“PEOPLE often thank us and say that, without the app and its alerts, they don’t know whether they would still be alive.”
For Jill Leonard, these are the messages that make everything worthwhile.
The 70-year-old Mancunian has spent years helping residents across southern Spain warn one another about approaching wildfires.
What began as a small Facebook group has grown into Wildfire Watch Spain, a free app with more than 150,000 users in Andalucia, Valencia and Murcia.
Now its creators want to expand across the whole country as increasingly destructive fires threaten communities every summer.
The story began in 2012, when a major wildfire struck Coin, where Jill has lived since 1999.
“There were several groups, but I thought there must be an easier way to convey messages and inform people,” she tells the Olive Press.
“There was a need for a single place for factual information where users could share information and their experiences.”
Jill, who moved to Spain in 1996, went on to establish 10 separate groups covering areas from Portugal to the Balearic Islands.
But it wasn’t until a decade later that she met a Dutch software developer who helped turn that community into an app.
READ MORE: 355,000 Hectares burnt, 8 dead: WWF urges Spain to rethink wildfire prevention
Bas Buur, 32, who lived in Mijas at the time, launched Wildfire Watch in 2021 as a passion project, initially paying for its running costs himself.
“I spent a lot of time on it and paid for everything out of my own pocket, including server hosting,” he told the Olive Press.
Today, donations cover those hosting costs, but expanding the service and paying for the moderation it requires remain major challenges.
The app’s importance became painfully apparent during the deadly Los Gallardos wildfire in Almeria this summer.
App user Annette Kilgore, 69, died while trying to escape the blaze on foot alongside friends and neighbours.
Jill remembers the desperate flow of messages as the fire spread.
“It was horrific and people died,” she recalls.
“Our app was so busy and, above all, we kept telling people, ‘Don’t go near the fire’. Unfortunately, some didn’t listen,” she says.
“I get emotional now thinking about it. They were not firefighters. They didn’t have enough training and experience.”
The tragedy underlines the importance of reliable information during a fast-moving emergency, although no warning system can guarantee everyone’s safety.
Bas however, does point out the numerous messages saying the alerts gave people precious time to escape.
How it works
Wildfire Watch Spain allows residents to report fires, share photographs and receive alerts about incidents in their chosen areas.
It combines eyewitness reports with information from regional firefighting services, like INFOCA, including updates on a fire’s status and emergency resources.
There is no official collaboration agreement, Bas says, but firefighters also use the app and sometimes contribute useful information.
One of its biggest advantages for Spain’s international communities is automatic translation between Spanish and English (the languages account for 47% and 53% of comments respectively).
Users can pinpoint incidents on an integrated map, add details and respond to other reports, helping build a live picture of what is happening on the ground.
But keeping that information accurate is a constant battle.
Seven volunteers, including Jill, currently moderate the app, removing speculation, false reports and abusive comments.
Bas says the workload is one of the biggest obstacles to expanding nationwide.
He believes better public awareness is essential, particularly when seemingly harmless behaviour can trigger a devastating blaze.
For Jill, however, the most powerful motivation remains the messages that arrive after the flames have been extinguished.
Bas says the notes he remembers most are from people who believe they would not have escaped in time without an alert.
Jill’s message to anyone living in a fire-prone area is simple: “Download it. It could save your life. And tell your friends.”
Wildfire Watch Spain is free to use. Donations help fund its running costs and future expansion.
For more information about the app, visit: https://wildfirewatch.app/en
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