With a heat warning in effect for many parts of northwestern Ontario this weekend, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry is reminding residents to "be extremely cautious" and camp safely.

The the forest fire hazard is currently high to extreme in the western portions of the region and predominately moderate to high in the east, according to fire information officer, Jonathan Scott.

"Yesterday there were 15 fires in the northwest region," Scott said, including seven in the Dryden district, four in the Fort Frances area, one near Kenora, two in the Red Lake district and one in the Sioux Lookout area.

He said the ministry is expecting to see some "hold-over lightning fires," which are fires that started from lightning strikes that happened a few days ago.

Scott adds campers can call 310-FIRE to report any new forest fires this weekend.

In addition to checking with local municipal by-laws, Scott also reminded people to make sure campers completely extinguish their campfires and avoid leaving them unattended.