Wet weather and high humidity have caused a dramatic drop in the number of forest fires in Quebec this year, saving the province millions of dollars in firefighting costs.

"Each year, we have about 800 fires. This year, we're on pace to have maybe 175 to 200," said Jacques Nadeau, a spokesman for Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU).

He said there haven't been this few forest fires in the province in the last 25 years.

With so few fires, the government is saving a lot of money, Nadeau said.

"The government of Quebec had to pay $64 million to extinguish all the fires in Quebec [last year], and, so far, we've only paid $3,842,000, so it's 94 per cent less so far," he said.

Nadeau said he usually sees 1,000 times more hectares of forest destroyed each year in Quebec.

This year, only 120 hectares have burned.

At this rate, Nadeau said, the number of forest fires likely will remain low until the end of the summer.