I-75 shutdown: Smoke from brush fire near Border Road overpass closes highway

Earle Kimel, Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Updated ·1 min read
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Smoke from a brush fire believed to have started near the southbound lane of I-75 south of Laurel Road closed the interstate to traffic Monday evening.
Smoke from a brush fire believed to have started near the southbound lane of I-75 south of Laurel Road closed the interstate to traffic Monday evening.

Florida Highway Patrol closed Interstate 75 between Exits 193 and 195 on Monday because of a brush fire near the southbound lanes near the Border Road overpass.

Traffic was diverted west to U.S. 41 between the two exits.

Venice Fire Chief Frank Giddens said the brush fire, which covered between five and six acres, is currently contained and firefighters are in the process of bringing it under control.

FHP originally closed southbound lanes at Exit 195 shortly after 5:20 p.m. because the fire was west on the west side of the interstate.

Giddens said the fire jumped to the median which prompted closing the northbound lanes.

The highway remained closed as of 7 p.m. Monday. Efforts to quell the fire included the Florida Forest Service using a helicopter to drop buckets of water on it.

FHP reopened northbound lanes shortly after 9:15 p.m. Monday. The FHP web and city of Venice X feed listed both northbound and southbound lanes open as of 6 a.m. Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Smoke from brush fire closes I-75 between exists 195 and 193