The statewide burn ban will be lifted for the remaining 19 counties, including Mecklenburg County, on Friday, the N.C. Forest Service announced.
Starting May 8 at 8 a.m., the ban on all open burning will be lifted for the following counties: Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes and Union counties.
The ban went into effect statewide on March 28. It was lifted for 81 counties on May 3.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said the rain this week has helped improve fire danger in the western Piedmont, but did say there is still a long way to go when it comes to drought recovery.
“While drought alone isn’t a hazardous forest fire condition, it can be a stressor that contributes to fires burning longer, more intensely and being more difficult to control,” Troxler said.
Burn permits are available statewide starting Friday at 8 a.m. Residents can obtain a burn permit online.
The lifted burn ban doesn’t include fires started within 100 feet of an occupied dwelling. That authority is up to local fire marshals.
