Digital wildfire: the role of social media in emergency response during wildfire crises

This study examines the emergence and function of spontaneous digital communities during wildfire emergencies through a mixed-methods analysis of four major wildfire events: the August Complex Fire (California, 2020), Dixie Fire (California, 2021), Marshall Fire (Colorado, 2021), and Maui Wildfires (Hawaii, 2023). It investigates how digital communities complement traditional emergency communication systems and contribute to community resilience. Key findings reveal that digital communities consistently emerged 6.8 h before official emergency communications, demonstrating rapid self-organisation with network density reaching 0.84 within 12 h of crisis onset. The study identified 127 distinct information hubs across the four cases, with 67% of posts including source attribution and community-based rumour control achieving average response times of 43 min. However, significant socioeconomic disparities emerged, with residents in the lowest income quintile participating 43% less than highest income residents, and rural residents facing dual challenges of higher wildfire exposure and reduced digital infrastructure access. The study contributes a new theoretical framework for understanding digital community resilience and provides evidence-based recommendations for developing more effective, equitable emergency communication systems that leverage rather than replace organic digital networks while addressing persistent inequalities in digital access and participation.