BLAND COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) — After several weeks of extremely dry and windy weather conditions, Bland County officials say the area has received enough rain to lift the ban on open-air burning.

Due to concerns of extreme fire danger and the number of forest fires reported across Bland County since the beginning of the month, officials declared a local emergency banning open-air burning on May 12.

Not only has Bland County received a significant amount of rain since that ban was declared, but forecasts are predicting more rainfall in the coming days, according to Bland County Emergency Services.

As a result, Bland County ended its open-air burn ban at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, May 24. However, officials still urge everyone to be cautious when burning anything in the county.