LEXINGTON, N.C. -- The Lexington Barbecue Capital Cook Off in April is canceled.

Organizers called off the 8th annual competition because of the December fire at the Old Lexington Home Brands Plant that left sidewalks unsafe and covered the grounds filled with bricks and debris.

City officials are stil waiting for an insurance company to asses the damage caused by the fire, and in the meantime roads are blocked off around the festival area.

The cookoff will return in 2019.