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Weekend Brush Fire Closed 10 Miles Of I-75 In Sarasota

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By JACKIE BARRON

News Channel 8

Published: March 23, 2009

SARASOTA - Smoke shut down 10 miles of Interstate 75 in Sarasota County for six hours Saturday night into Sunday morning as a brush fire tore across more than 700 acres.

The land, owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, is several miles south of the interstate off South Moon Drive.

"We have already fought more fires this year than the past 15 years," said Patrick Mahoney of the state Division of Forestry.

The state Department of Transportation points to a study by the Texas Transportation Institute as a way to measure the financial impact of such an interstate closure. The formula put the cost for travelers detoured Saturday night at more than $700,000.

Mahoney said the forestry division doesn't expect relief until June, describing today's showers as "less than a drop in the bucket, more like a splat."

The economic climate has also aggravated drought conditions, he said.

A prime example is a remote section of North Port in southern Sarasota County. There boarded homes and overgrown lots dot the neighborhood; the area is outlined by charred ground after a brush fire a few weeks ago.

"The grass was probably 3 to 4 feet tall," Mahoney said. "You have all these weeds out here; they're just going to carry the fire. On the right day, if fire ran through here we would be chasing it for a long time."

Firefighters chased the wind-swept Saturday fire for hours before bringing it under control.

Mahoney said the drought caused the blaze to do something crews rarely see, a fire raging at night. Brush fires typically "lay down" after dusk, giving firefighters a chance to regroup.

But Mahoney said the amount of fuel on the ground fed flames past midnight. "It burned very hot and let us know how dry it is."

Forestry officials remain "very, very concerned," he said, calling current conditions "extreme."

Reporter Jackie Barron can be contacted at (813) 221-5708.

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