Now that the winter snow has melted and the fallen leaves from last fall have dried out due to rising temperatures in the McKean County area wildfires have become a danger.

Wildfire season has kept local firefighters from volunteer departments around the surrounding counties very busy, especially with the strong winds experienced lately in the area.

Thursday afternoon, according to Star Hose Company #1 of Port Allegany Fire Chief Alex Johnson, four wildfires, each under about a quarter of an acre, were reported at approximately 3:45 p.m. to the fire department. Crews were dispatched to 2906 State Route 155, arriving shortly after the call originated and began battling the blazes which burned in four separate areas along State Route 155, between The Daily Bread Cafe and Turtlepoint on the east side of the roadway.

According to Chief Anderson, all firefighting efforts to extinguish all four blazes were completed by 5 p.m. An investigation into the cause of the wildfires is on-going, confirmed Chief Anderson.

Assisting the Star Hose Company at the scene of the fires were the Eldred Volunteer Borough and Township Fire Departments and the Smethport Volunteer Fire Department.

With the wildfire season now in full-swing, Smokey the Bear, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Allegheny National Forest and the National Weather Service are all warning folks of the higher risk of fires.