As of Thursday, investigators with the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office have been called to 19 confirmed fires within the county this year to determine a cause. This month alone, county fire investigators have been summoned to seven blazes, the most in March since 2017 and only the fourth time in the last 11 years.

The city of Jamestown handles its own fire investigations, and not all fires that occur in the county require the response of the Sheriff’s Office, so the total this year is likely far higher.

Of the 19 fires investigated this year, 13 were found to be accidental in nature, with three ruled undetermined and three incendiary.

One fatality the result of a fire has been recorded this year.

Flames are pictured coming from a West Fourth Street home in Dunkirk on March 8. It’s one of seven blazes investigated by the Sheriff’s Office and 19 this year.

Some of the notable calls this year:

¯ A garage was damaged by fire on Farmingdale Road in the town of Sheridan on Jan. 9. No one was injured in the blaze, later determined to be accidental. Responding agencies included West Town Dunkirk Fire Department, East Town Dunkirk Fire Department, Sheridan Fire Department, Sunset Bay Fire Department and the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office.

¯ No injuries were noted after a fire that began in a car extended to a residence Feb. 4 on South Roberts Road in Dunkirk. Two adults and four children were living in the property and required assistance from the Red Cross.

The fire, according to the county Fire Investigation Team, was ruled incendiary.

¯ A man was killed after fire broke out at his Old Route 20 home in the town of Ripley on Feb. 13. Members of the Ripley Fire Department responded to the house fire along with Westfield, Sherman, Fuller Hose in Northeast, Pa., and Chautauqua County Emergency Services around 5:35 a.m. During the investigation, it was discovered that the homeowner, Richard McCutcheon, 63, was found deceased inside the structure.

The cause of the fire was undetermined.

¯ Several departments spent dozens of combined manhours battling a fire that destroyed two homes and damaged several others March 11 on Keller Road in Lakewood’s fire district.

An occupant awoke to crackling sounds and discovered the blaze. Due to 60-degree weather the previous day, a window had been left open, allowing the occupants to be alerted to the raging fire.

“It was 62 degrees and we had the window open — otherwise we wouldn’t have made it,” owner Janet Stanek said at the scene. “I don’t know if I’ve completely digested that yet. And what’s really interesting, I had gotten up maybe 20 minutes prior and opened up the window shade more. So if the window wasn’t open and window shade wasn’t up, the way that it spread and how quickly, we wouldn’t have made it.”

Due to the amount of damage, the cause of the fire has not been determined.

¯ A home on Route 394 in the town of Poland was damaged in a March 19 blaze ruled accidental.

Area firefighters also have had to deal with a rash of brush fires, common this time of year. A statewide ban remains in place through May 14, the state Department of Environmental Conservation stated earlier this month.

“While wildfires are more visible in the western part of the country, the start of spring brings an increased risk of wildfires right here in New York,” DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos said. “In an effort to protect our communities and natural resources, New York prohibits residential burning for two months starting on March 16, when dry conditions are highest. Help DEC put safety first and continue to reduce the number of wildfires in New York’s communities by following the burn ban.”

The state noted that open burning of debris is the single largest cause of spring wildfires in New York. When temperatures rise and the past fall’s leaves and debris become dry, fires can ignite and spread easily with the assistance of wind.

In 2020, DEC Forest Rangers extinguished 192 wildfires that burned a total of more than 1,122 acres.

In neighboring Warren County, there have been 13 wildfires reported burning 18.7 acres. But unlike last year, Warren County officials aren’t considering a burn ban at this stage but that doesn’t mean that the option is off the table.

“We have experienced an earlier-than-usual and much more active spring fire season this year, in comparison to prior years,” said Cecile Stelter, district forester with the state Bureau of Forestry.

She explained the Bureau of Forestry maintains wildfire data as far back as 1913 but not at the county level.

“Our local records don’t date back quite that far, but Warren County’s 10-year average of the number of fires occurring through March 24th is 2.0 fires burning an average of 2.4 acres,” she said. “In comparison, thus far in 2021, there have been 13 wildfires that have burned a total of 18.7 acres in Warren County.”

Josh Cotton with the Warren Times Observer contributed to this story.