As wildfire burns near North Port, I-75 remains open
Interstate 75 in North Port remains open early Monday morning, but Florida Highway Patrol is cautioning motorists about smoke from a large wildfire.
The 3,500-acre Raintree Fire shut down the interstate on Saturday, as it burned acreage in the Griffin Reserve in southern Sarasota County. As of Sunday afternoon, the blaze was about 30 percent contained, according to the Florida Forest Service.
#RaintreeFire update. 3500 acres and 30% containment. Strike team from North Florida has arrived on scene.
— Patrick M. Mahoney (@FFS_Myakka) May 14, 2017
Over the weekend, firefighting crews on the ground were aided by numerous water drops from helicopters.
Officials say the brush fire has jumped over I-75 in North Port. (Video by Kayla DelSanto) Details here: https://t.co/U2Q0TVSk1a pic.twitter.com/J2SEnZTdkf
— Bay News 9 (@BN9) May 13, 2017
This story was originally published May 15, 2017 at 6:49 AM with the headline "As wildfire burns near North Port, I-75 remains open."