Forest fires are a natural part of nature, so it’s not uncommon that a season will be lacking in wildfires.

As long as the flames, embers and such aren’t inhibiting local habitations and urban landscape, it can be considered a “cleanse” for the environment.

This year Northwestern Ontario has seen significantly fewer forest fires compared to last year.

Chris Marchand is the Fire Information Officer for the northwest, and he told Acadia News that there have been only 80 fires that burned 120 hectares.

When compared to last year, that’s four and a half times less than what happened all of last year across Ontario.

When it comes to keeping your property safe from fire, Marchand has some helpful tips:

keep outside wood stored away from your main residence and outbuildings (if possible)
trim back your trees at least 10m from your home
cleaning out your gutters and cleaning off your roof of dried leaves and pine needles
discarding of bagged dried leaves and brush