The number of forest fires in the province is down for the third year in a row.

Ninety-seven fires burned a total of 322 hectares of land in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2019, down from 2018 when 132 fires burned a total of 396 hectares.

That’s also down from the previous ten year average of 114 fires and 33,831 hectares burned.

While many parts of the province experienced a cool, wet summer, the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources says it’s part of an encouraging trend involving forest fire prevention and education.

This year, the provincial government says 12 communities in Newfoundland and Labrador took part in the FireSmart Canada Communities Recognition program, which provides support to municipalities to help reduce the risk of wildfire damage to property.

Eighty-four forest fire fighters and seven student fire fighters were on staff to respond to forest fires this season.