Associated Incidents
There are currently multiple fires raging across Southern California, one of which forced the notoriously clogged 405 Freeway in Los Angeles to shut down.
Big fires force people to find new routes — including people using apps like Waze and Google Maps.
SEE ALSO: Wildfires lead to hellish scenes for Los Angeles commuters
The problem? Those apps look for roads without many cars on them, and try to route you there. Which is great when you're trying to avoid run-of-the-mill traffic. But not when the roads are clear because of nearby fires.
"The Los Angeles Police Department asked drivers to avoid navigation apps, which are steering users onto more open routes — in this case, streets in the neighborhoods that are on fire," the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday night.
On Thursday morning, a Waze spokesperson told Mashable that the Google-owned company had worked with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) to close around 110 dangerous road segments on the app. It's also providing drivers "up-to-date evacuation routes" and information on nearby shelters.
"The Los Angeles Police Department asked drivers to avoid navigation apps, which are steering users onto more open routes — in this case, streets in the neighborhoods that are on fire." https://t.co/I3sICDIF4A — Joel Rubin (@joelrubin) December 7, 2017
Google Maps and Waze are by far the most popular navigation apps in the App Store.
More 700 homes have been evacuated due to the Skirball fire in densely populated Bel-Air, with four homes destroyed and 11 damaged as of Thursday morning, according to the Times. North of Los Angeles in Ventura, flames have burned 96,000 acres and damaged at least 150 structures, forcing the evacuation of around 50,000 people.