Burn bans lifted in some counties - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Rain that brought relief to many neighborhoods is also causing more Indiana counties to lift their burn bans.

Just before the 4th of July, the drought and the danger mounted.

Dry weather and damaged grass caused communities across Indiana to impose burn bans. Their goal: prevent fires in fields, on grassy medians and near homes.

But now, with much-needed rainfall and lawns looking greener, firefighters and county leaders have to decide whether it's time to lift the bans.

"I'm getting quite a lot of calls saying, 'is the burn ban still in effect?'," said Indianapolis Fire Battalion Chief Fred Pervine.

"We've probably received ten calls this week, people, 'hey can I burn? Can I do this'," added Fishers Fire Chief Steven Orusa.

Many have lifted their burn bans, especially in the northern half of the state.

Hamilton County Commissioners meet Monday to decide whether or not to lift the burn ban there.

Firefighters from across the county plan to monitor the conditions this weekend and make a recommendation to the county at Monday's meeting.

"We want to let people burn recreationally, but at the same time, the safety of the community has to be a priority," Orusa explained.

Firefighters plan to use science and statistics to weigh the risks and benefits of lifting the ban.

"We've got a significant amount of rain, but we haven't had enough rain to reverse the drought," Orusa said, "and the challenge is we've had a drought for so long, all of June and July, that it takes a significant amount of rain to reverse that drought. But we're hopeful."

Marion County's burn ban is still in effect right now. Firefighters say despite the rain, it likely will stay that way for awhile.

"We look at the vegetation. We look at the amount of rain that we're getting. It made a big difference. We're getting some greening, but we're not all the way there yet," Pervine said.

"What we try to do with the burn ban is keep it in effect because what we don't want to do is lift the burn ban and then we have to put it back in effect again."

Pervine says it comes down to public safety, making absolutely sure the fire danger is gone.

BURN BAN STATUS MAP