Authorities southwest of the metro are trying to figure out if someone is intentionally starting wildfires.
The Brown County Sheriff's Office says fire crews responded to 16 wildfires between March 1 and April 22.
Over the same period of time last year, there was just one fire call. The year before that, there were two.
An "unusual number" of fires occurred on or near Conservation Reserve Program land, Wildlife Management Areas and other naturally vegetated land, according to the sheriff's office. Of the 16 fires, five of them were between Comfrey and Highway 4 in Mulligan Township.
Authorities say there does not appear to be a specific pattern regarding the fires. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the sheriff's office.