Forest Service Chopper Responds to Venice Brush Fire

A brush fire immediately west of I-75 and north of Border Road on Monday shut down 2 miles of interstate and sent a Florida Forest Service helicopter into the air to haul water to the flames.

Smoke from the fire was already making its way onto the interstate by 4 p.m., prompting Florida Highway Patrol to shut down lanes between Laurel Road and Jacaranda Boulevard. That section of highway remained closed until shortly after 8:50 p.m.

The Forest Service helicopter arrived on scene to help Venice Fire & Rescue just after 7 p.m. The chopper worked for about an hour pulling water from a pond in the currently-under-construction Vistera community—which sits just east of I-75 and north of Border Road—to dump it on the 4-acre fire across the interstate.

After about two-dozen trips back and forth, the chopper refueled with the help of a fuel trailer parked on the interstate before heading south to land at Page Field in Fort Myers.

Prior to the chopper’s arrival, a Florida Forest Service single-engine airplane circled the area from 5:15 p.m. until 6:35 p.m.

This story was updated May 21 to include information from Venice Fire & Rescue.