GOSHEN — A countywide ban on open burning that went into effect in mid June could come to an end Monday morning.

Elkhart County will likely lift its burn ban next week, but local leaders are urging residents to be patient in the meantime. Elkhart County Board of Commissioners president Terry Rodino said fire officials spoke over the weekend about whether to end the ban since rainstorms recently rolled through northern Indiana, giving much needed relief from the ongoing drought.

“I think that’s the consensus right now,” Rodino said. “We will probably lift it but with some stern words of wisdom telling people not to think they can just burn everything and to use common sense.”

The county’s burn ban was originally issued June 15 to reduce the risk of fire hazards. Since then, the ban has been extended three times on June 18, June 25 and June 29.

Concord Fire Chief Scott Maurer said his crew has received about two dozen calls related to complaints about opening burning during the past few weeks. Though the burn ban will probably be canceled Monday, he said people should continue to use common sense when setting fire to debris.

As of Saturday evening, 74 Indiana counties were still under a burn ban. Four of Elkhart County’s neighbors — St. Joseph, Marshall, LaGrange and Noble counties — have lifted their bans.