Stay safe this bushfire season with a new layer on Google Maps

As summer heats up across the country, Australians may turn to Google for updates on fire conditions so they can stay informed, plan travel and in some cases, make critical and life-saving decisions.

For over a decade, we’ve been working with Australian state and territory fire agencies to deliver crisis response alerts on Search, Maps and Android devices to help the community stay safe and prepared during bushfire seasons. And today, we’re rolling out a new bushfire layer on Google Maps to help Aussies access prompt and official bushfire information more easily and quickly.

With the bushfire layer, you can get up-to-date details about multiple fires at once, allowing you to make quick, informed decisions during times of emergency. Turn on the layer by tapping the layers symbol on Maps and then on the ‘Bushfires’ icon to see important details about multiple active fires. To look into details on a particular bushfire, tap on a fire on the map to see the latest updates, location, level of severity, recommended actions and other important information (see more details on how to access the layer here).

When you Google search for bushfire related queries, trusted information provided by state fire agencies will also be surfaced in search results.

When it comes to an issue as serious and as complex as bushfires, we know that the best solutions often come from those that are on ground and closest to the needs of communities. That’s why partnerships with local fire agencies, WWF Australia and the University of Queensland are pivotal to our work in this area. Whether we’re delivering crisis alerts or aiding in wildlife recovery, our goal is to find the right combination of in-field expertise, scientific knowledge and technology to help Australians get trusted information when it matters most.