# VIC Fires

> Victorian bushfire information app using official data and GPS. (iPhone/iPad app by P4G Pty Ltd.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vic-fires/id348142406 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [P4G Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/296948831)
- Category: News, Weather
- Price: $0.99
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 21 App Store ratings · 91 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 13 · 34 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2009-12-29
- Data updated: 2026-08-31
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vic-fires/id348142406/reviews.md

## What is VIC Fires?

This application is designed to provide up to date information about bush fire data in Victoria, Australia for iPhone, iPad and iPod users.

It utilises data from the Victorian Country Fire Authority/Victorian Department of Sustainability data feeds on fires, wind data from the Bureau of Meteorology with your current location provided by the iPhone GPS.

Using this information the application is able to provide a list of fires showing the nearest ones first, helping you to understand your current situation.

The information is reliant on both the accuracy of the iPhone GPS and the data recorded on the CFA's website. 

This application does not cache any data, so Internet access (either Wireless. 3G or GPRS) is required to access the data. 

We have enabled this application for the iPod Touch as well, but note that the GPS location and therefore distance from the fire may be unreliable.

Be aware that while P4G has utilised "best efforts" to provide this information to you, it is not intended to replace other sources of information on the fire situation near you. Also remember that fire and weather can change quickly.

All data is provided Copyright from the Victorian Country Fire Authority and the Victorian Department of Sustainability.

Follow P4G on twitter at P4G_Apps

## Key features

- Up-to-date bushfire information
- Uses official CFA/Dept. of Sustainability data
- Integrates Bureau of Meteorology wind data
- Shows nearest fires first
- Utilizes iPhone GPS for location

## Chart rankings

- #51 in Top Paid · News (US App Store)

## What do users think of VIC Fires?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- ✅ Reliable and up-to-date info
- 👍 Provides critical service
- 🗺️ Useful map for spotting areas
- ✈️ Great for firefighting pilots
- 💡 Informative, especially wind data
- 🚀 Loads well with poor signal
- 🌟 Better than VicEmergency app
- 💯 Saves lives
- ✅ Clear and easy to use
- 👍 Highly recommended
- ✨ Informative and accurate
- 🚀 Quick notifications
- 👍 User-friendly
- 💖 Peace of mind
- ✅ Comprehensive data
- 🚀 Loads instantly
- 🌟 Accurate and detailed

**Cons**

- 🐛 Glitchy and freezes
- 🐛 Map not moving smoothly
- 🐛 Keeps freezing
- 🐛 Constantly freezes
- 🐛 Very laggy
- 🐛 Inconsistent updates
- 🐛 Map glitches
- 🐛 Watch zones not deleting
- 🐛 Settings not updating
- 🐛 App crashes
- 🐛 Notification overload
- 🐛 Unreliable updates
- 🐛 Misinformation on map
- 🐛 No roundabout shown
- 🐛 Fire information sketchy
- 🐛 Rating values unclear
- 🐛 Crashing problems
- 🐛 Missing building fire alarms
- 🐛 Yellow skin on map
- 🐛 Difficult to see fire edge
- 🐛 Lacks address function
- 🐛 Limited watch zone locations
- 🐛 Too busy, no legend
- 🐛 Jumbled fire regions
- 🐛 Cumbersome location search
- 🐛 Watch zone function not working
- 🐛 Some map notifications missing
- 🐛 Doesn't show fire edge clearly
- 🐛 Infrequent updates
- 🐛 Not as good as it used to be
- 🐛 Fire ratings forecast disappeared
- 🐛 KML/KMZ compatibility needed
- 🐛 Can't delete watch zones
- 🐛 Self-generating watch zones
- 🐛 Notifications not working
- 🐛 Hotspot feature reduced

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Main icon needs dark theme support
- Map is not moving smoothly across the state
- Screen keeps freezing
- Continually freezes
- Constantly freezes
- Map glitches and freeze
- Very laggy
- Cannot delete watch zones
- Watchzones i've previously created cannot be deleted
- App takes a couple of times to get the information up
- Self generating watch zones and will not delete
- Fires listed are often not shown on the map
- Notifications are on but it doesn’t notify me when there’s a fire
- Settings don’t update as requested
- App unable to show Watch & Act details
- Mistake on map (roundabout missing)
- Properties under threat not updated for days
- Crashes when you try and adjust the settings
- Fire Ratings Forecast portion has disappeared
- Crashing problems when clicking town weather icon
- Yellow skin all over victoria makes it hard to see under it
- Tree Down and Building Damage notifications are irrelevant
- App won't open or crashes
- Map doesn't show fire edge like NSW version
- Updates are terrible, not updating for days
- Map doesn't show where the actual fire edge is
- Updates need to be more timely and informative
- Can only set a Watch Zone for current location
- Jumbled and difficult to find a fire in your area
- Flame symbols are distracting and cover too much area
- Hard to see simply where the fire has burnt
- Watch zone function does not work (deletes within minutes)
- Cannot search for a location by entering an address
- Some map notifications missing for specific areas
- Hotspot feature reduced

**Most requested features**

- Add iOS dark icon theme support
- More information about fires and emergencies
- Add KML/KMZ compatibility for OzRunways
- Include local fire restriction dates
- Allow reporting of intended burning off
- Show fire edge on map like NSW version
- Add address search function
- Improve map legend and explanation
- Add a help page for new users
- Allow selection of multiple watch zones for friends/family
- Show types of vehicles, helicopters, planes
- Include evacuation center locations
- Live wind direction and speed
- Show fire boundaries more clearly
- Re-add building fire alarm call outs
- Update for FRV
- Filter notifications or allow user control
- Add rain radar
- Add satellite image view option

## Recent user reviews (10 of 91)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vic-fires/id348142406/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Great function, small visual fixes would help

*2026-05-15*

Functionally works great. Provides a critical service better than the governments own solution. I would make this 5 stars if the developer could please add iOS dark icon theme support for the main icon. Would help make the icon appear more consistent with others on my Home Screen. Thanks

### 5/5 — Good fire information

*2026-01-30, version 6.4*

❤️ this app, gives reliable up to date info, and because of this I feel safer with any decisions I need to be making…this app is highly recommended. Thank you.

### 4/5 — Review

*2026-01-27, version 6.3.2*

I wish there was more information about the fires and other emergencies.

### 5/5 — Great!

*2026-01-11, version 6.3*

The latest update reduced hotspot. Disappointing. I found them very helpful in checking the spread of the fire

### 1/5 — Very glitchy

*2026-01-11, version 6.2*

Very glitchy

### 5/5 — Map is not moving smoothly across the state

*2026-01-10*

There seems to be a problem with the map. With fires burning in multiple areas, it is annoying that it is difficult to move the map smoothly across the state.

### 3/5 — Keeps Freezing

*2026-01-10, version 6.2*

Great to have some visibility of fire situation, but when critically needed, the screen keeps freezing. Please bug fix or stabilise for heavy use periods.

### 5/5 — absolutely amazing

*2026-01-10, version 6.2*

10/10 would recommend paying the 2 dollars

### 1/5 — No good

*2026-01-10, version 6.2*

Continually freezes

### 1/5 — Constantly freezes

*2026-01-10, version 6.2*

Doesn’t seem to work much, using latest release on latest model iPhone with current version of iOS 26:
iMaps freezes every time requiring a restart of the app
Google maps is also buggy and freezes after a few moves
Ie it fails across platforms in an iPhone 

5 yr ago the app was top notch, now it’s just too buggy to rely upon

## Frequently asked questions about VIC Fires

### What does this app do?

This application provides up-to-date information on bushfires in Victoria, Australia. It uses official data feeds from the Victorian Country Fire Authority and the Victorian Department of Sustainability, along with wind data from the Bureau of Meteorology and your current location via iPhone GPS, to display the nearest fires to you.

### How does the app determine fire locations?

The app utilizes your iPhone's GPS to determine your current location. This location data is then cross-referenced with official bushfire data from the Victorian Country Fire Authority and the Victorian Department of Sustainability to identify and list the fires closest to you.

### Is this app free to use?

Yes, the application is provided free of charge. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements within the app.

### What are the system requirements for this app?

The application is designed for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch users. It requires internet access (Wireless, 3G, or GPRS) to retrieve real-time data. Note that for iPod Touch users, GPS location and distance from fires may be unreliable.

### Can I rely solely on this app during a fire event?

While this application strives to provide accurate and timely information, it is not intended to replace other official sources of information on the fire situation. Fire and weather conditions can change rapidly, so it is important to stay informed through multiple channels.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 6.5 — 2026-05-12

Fixed the locations of some incidents so we can see them on the maps...

### 6.4 — 2026-01-29

This version shows the burnt areas on the map (you can turn off using the filter button bottom right) and adds the action to the warning title. And hopefully fixed a couple of annoying crashes.

### 6.3.2 — 2026-01-14

This is a minor update to fix crashes in Google Maps on older versions of iOS and fix problems with the Rain Radar crashing.

### 6.3 — 2026-01-11

Lots of little performance updates (from learnings from the current fires) .  Also added the ability to search on a warning to see if your town is affected.

nb Both Apple and Google Maps should work better, and I have turned down how many hotspots you see for performance, but if th map goes slow turn the hotspots off.

### 6.2 — 2025-12-23

This version includes:-
- a better look in iOS 26
- the ability to request notifications based on Warnings (its on by default)
- able to filter out planned burns
- lots of little things you wont probably noticed, but still takes a while to fix :)

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| [The Courier](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-courier/id1567231887) | 5.0 (1) | Free | News |
| [The Standard](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/the-standard/id1587920434) | — | Free | News |
| [VicEmergency](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vicemergency/id356559665) | 3.5 (4) | Free | News |
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## More apps by P4G Pty Ltd

- [MelbWinds](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/melbwinds/id322633434)
- [HobartWinds](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hobartwinds/id325878018)
- [NSW Fires](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nsw-fires/id350111353)
- [SA Fires](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sa-fires/id352740821)
- [QLD Fires](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/qld-fires/id576245922)

All apps by P4G Pty Ltd: https://appshunter.io/developer/296948831

## Related topics

[qld fires](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/qld-fires)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-31.*