Monroe County lifts burn ban

The Monroe County Board of Commissioners agreed to lift the county-wide emergency burn ban issued in June, effective immediately.

Fire Chief Faron Livingston of the Bloomington Township Fire Department and James Comerford, Monroe County emergency management coordinator, recommended that the county end the ban.

Despite the end of the burn ban in the area, Indiana remains in a drought. The U.S. Drought Monitor classifies 39.22 percent of the state with extreme drought conditions, including Monroe County. About 10 percent of the state remains classified with exceptional drought conditions.