A helicopter pictured in Wednesday's search of a 2-year-old boy who went missing in Silver Creek. The boy was found safe about 1 1/2 miles away. Submitted photo

SILVER CREEK — A frantic search for a 2-year-old boy who wandered from his Route 5 home in Silver Creek, resulting in a large-scale search involving more than a dozen agencies, had a happy ending Wednesday.

The Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office said the boy, who was found safe about two hours later and 1 1/2 miles away from home, was reunited with his family.

The search began at 4:35 p.m. after the child’s mother briefly stepped away to put clothes in a dryer. The woman told police she last saw her son on the back deck of their 1635 Route 5 home in Silver Creek.

When the woman came back the boy was reportedly gone, sparking a frantic search in the immediate area without success.

A command post was established by the Sheriff’s Office not long after the child went missing. Assisting in the initial search were state troopers and Starflight helicopter to make sure the boy was not hiding nearby.

A K-9 was brought in, and a large-scale search of the area began. The railroad company was contacted to slow train traffic behind the home, and deputies began interviewing neighbors.

Several area fire departments were eventually summoned to aid in the search.

Chautauqua County Sheriff Joe Gerace said a volunteer helping to search on an all-terrain vehicle heard the boy in a ravine and alerted nearby firefighters. Jim Tytka Jr., a member of the Silver Creek Fire Department, found the 2-year-old shortly thereafter.

Deputies said the boy was uninjured, though “frightened.” He was reunited with his family within minutes of being located.

Gerace praised the efforts of local first responders who helped Wednesday, noting that the incident could have ended tragically.

“This was very disturbing,” Gerace told The Post-Journal. “Everyone stepped up and put forth the effort to find the boy as quickly as possible. It was just an amazing ending — a happy ending that could have had a different ending.”

“We had a combination of things that turned out to be positive,” he continued, noting that darkness would have made search efforts very difficult.

Shortly before the boy was found, a shoulder-to-shoulder search was being organized, the sheriff said.

Involved in Wednesday’s search included the Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police, as well as firefighters from Silver Creek, Sheridan, Sunset Bay, Forestville, Cassadaga, East Dunkirk and Evans Center. Members of the Chautauqua County Emergency Services also responded, as did the Chautauqua Area Search Team and county fire police.

The Sheriff’s Office said it is investigating the incident.