Ohio State Fire Marshal Kevin Reardon has lifted the state's ban on open burning as of Friday, October 11.

The ban was ordered on September 6 in response to extremely dry conditions throughout the state.

While dry conditions persist in some parts of the state, the onset of moderate fall temperatures and atmospheric conditions, as well as the recent rains across the state have provided enough moisture to create a significant and sustained reaction in wildfire fuel loads during the first part of October.

According to a press release, the ban relied heavily on the U.S. Drought Monitor, which focused heavily on overall long-term drought conditions.

An additional and proven index to examine regarding drought-related wildfire risks is the Keetch Byram Drought Index (KBDI), which links precipitation effects to wildfire fuel availability and is founded on the concept that fuels with less moisture burn more actively and fuels with more moisture burn with less intensity or potentially not at all.

"Factors we look at are the burnability, or how easy it is to ignite those fuels that are on the ground. When those fuels are drier, they will obviously ignite faster. When there is more moisture, that changes their ignitability quite a bit. There's a lot that goes into this, but it simply boils down to how easy is it to start a fire on the ground," Reardon said.

The ban could be reinstated if drought conditions worsen and KBDI values return to concerning levels.