NEW PALTZ, N.Y. — Just 12 days into July, it is an unusually busy month for firefighters in New Paltz.

The department is now planning a fire safety convention to show more residents how to avoid starting the types of accidental fires to which New Paltz firefighters have been responding.

Fire Chief Cory Wirthmann said the nine fires his department has either responded to, or assisted on, include: a fire started by a hot lawnmower that damaged a shed, a fire started by a circuit overload due to an air conditioner being plugged into an extension cord, two utility pole fires and two dumpster fires.

He said eight of them are likely accidental, while one is still under investigation.

"It's definitely scary," said Kamilla Nagy, who lives just blocks from several of the locations of the accidental fires.

Nagy said she knows to always plug major appliances directly into the wall, but she did not know about the risks posed by hot lawn equipment.

"As people become more aware of the situations and how dangerous they could be, maybe people will pay more attention and clean their mowers," she said.

Chief Wirthmann advises letting mowers and other equipment cool off outside before storing them back in sheds, clearing dry grass and leaves from the area around any grill or open flame, and to avoid flicking cigarettes or emptying ashes into dumpsters.

He said an increase in the rate of accidental fires in the summer is common, but this recent string of unrelated accidental fires is more than what the volunteer department is used to handling.

"This is not normal," he said. "There's a lot of different variables that can come together that can make the perfect situation for the ignition of a fire. But for us, seasonably, no, we don't normally get this many fires in this short a period of time."

Wirthmann said the department hosts yearly fire safety events and does regular visits to schools.

On Thursday, he said the department may add a fire safety convention to its schedule due to what appears to be a need for more fire safety education.

"[We'll be] inviting some of the local fire extinguishing companies, the fire department, the building department and whoever else may find interest in it," Chief Wirthmann said. "It's just to invite the public to come out and actually ask those questions and maybe if they if they have fire extinguishers, they can bring them out and get them inspected."