Watch Duty does not name fires. Fire names are assigned by the officials managing the incident, and Watch Duty reports the official name when one is available.

How are fires named?

Fire names are assigned by officials, such as the Incident Commander.

When Watch Duty first reports a fire, an official name may not have been assigned yet. In that case, we use the generic name Vegetation Fire until an official name becomes available.

We don't guess or create a name for an incident. We update the name when it is:

• Assigned by the Incident Commander or Dispatch
• Reported through official channels
• Updated in official fire-tracking systems, such as the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) or WildCAD

It's also possible for different fires to have the same name. Fire names are not necessarily unique.

Why does the notification mention a different place?

The fire's official name and its location are two different pieces of information.

Watch Duty may include nearby roads, communities, or geographic features in the incident's location information to help you quickly understand where the fire is.

For example, if you see the name of a nearby community in the incident's address, that does not mean it is the name of the fire.

What if the fire's official name is incorrect?

Watch Duty reports the incident name provided by official sources and does not independently rename fires.

If you believe the name recognized by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) is incorrect, the official source will need to be updated. Once an updated name is provided through the official sources we monitor, Watch Duty can reflect that change.