SALISBURY — Remaining burn bans in North Carolina, including Rowan County’s, were lifted Monday after much-needed weekend rain.

The burn ban went into effect about two weeks ago because of hazardous forest fire conditions and a lack of rain. It was lifted for 67 counties on Dec. 8, but Rowan County wasn’t one of them. Only cooking fires were allowed during the burn ban.

While there’s no longer a burn ban anywhere in the state, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler still encouraged people to be careful.

“We saw some much-needed rain during the weekend, and that has thankfully helped bring fire danger down, allowing us to lift burn ban restrictions statewide,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Still, I’d caution residents to remain vigilant about burning responsibly and safely. Make sure you have a valid burn permit and contact your NCFS county ranger for wildfire prevention and fire safety tips.”

National Weather Service Data show about 0.80 inches of rain in the Salisbury area since Friday. Prior to the weekend, Rowan County was in a severe drought status, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Bostian Heights Fire Chief Mike Zimmerman said people were generally understanding and cooperative when asked by firefighters to put out fires during the ban. But Zimmerman said there were a few fires that got out of hand during the ban, including a double-wide mobile in his fire district home that burned badly because of embers from an outdoor fire.