Making The Most
Fresh Snow Blankets Much Of Chautauqua County
A blanket of snow covered much of Chautauqua County on Monday, making travel difficult for some though providing a natural playground for children off from school.
Most of the region — including Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Wyoming and southern Erie counties — was under a lake effect snow warning. The initial warning, which was set to expire at 7 a.m. this morning, called for 6 to 14 inches of accumulation in the most persistent areas.
There were few reports of crashes or vehicles off the road. The Martin Luther King Day holiday, with some having the day off from work, may have played a role with less traffic on local roads.
For children, the day off from school meant sledding — which was the case at Allen Park in Jamestown. About a dozen kids could be seen at the park sledding down the hill near the bandshell.
The overnight snow, however, did slow emergency vehicles called to a house fire reported around 9:30 a.m. on Diffley Road near Ashville. Volunteers from Ashville, Panama, Sherman, Chautauqua and Lakewood were summoned, along with Chautauqua County EMS and the county fire coordinators.
Fire officials requested county road crews to plow Open Meadows Road leading to the fire scene. Officials reported difficult road conditions.
The fire was reported under control in about a half hour. The cause wasn’t immediately known.