Manatee and Sarasota remain among driest counties in Florida following North Port brush fire
NORTH PORT, Fla. - Lillian and Declan Henriques’ bike ride looked a lot different Monday than it did a few days ago.
"It was just really sad to see all the forest and stuff burned down. There was a lot of green, and now it’s gone," said 12-year-old Lillian.
On Saturday night, just after 5 p.m., they weren’t sure what would be left of their North Port neighborhood.
RELATED: Large brush fire causes evacuations in North Port: Officials
"When I saw the smoke I was getting really nervous, because it was growing really fast," said 6-year-old Declan.
As crews responded to the fire near Sultan Avenue and Lown Street, one block down off Ploves Road, Erik Yurchak and his family knew it was time to leave.
"My 10-year-old daughter looked out the window and just saw a wall of flames," he told FOX 13.
It only took minutes before the fire surrounded both sides of their home.
READ: Sarasota County burn ban: What residents can do to help prevent major fires in drought conditions
"I was certain that I was seeing our house burning," he said.
The Florida Forest Service is still working to determine what caused the fire, but it quickly grew to 75 acres.
"We had wind, dry conditions, and it was a recipe to be a fire like this," said Deputy Chief Scott Lane with North Port Fire Rescue.
Sarasota County remains one of the driest counties in the state.
"Residents need to adhere to the burn ban that we have, because any spark from a charcoal grill, discarded cigarette or if they’re doing an illegal burn in their backyard, can cause a fire like this to happen because of the dryness in the area," said Lane.
MORE: Hurricane, wildfire seasons expected to lead to spike in home insurance rates
Further North in Manatee County, commissioners approved a burn ban on all outdoor burning and use of fireworks or sparklers, unless it’s a professional display. The ban includes items containing any "explosive compound," sparklers, any item or product using or containing any amount of pyrotechnic composition, flares, open burning and campfires because of the increasingly dry conditions in the county.
The following uses will be allowed:
- Outdoor cookers or grills, if they are always attended by a responsible adult while the unit is in use.
- Any agricultural, silvicultural or land-clearing burn that has been authorized by FFS, and it has been determined that there will be sufficient fire suppression equipment and personnel on site.
- Properly permitted public fireworks displays with adequate fire suppression equipment and personnel on site.
- Flares discharged over the Gulf of Mexico.
The Manatee County burn ban will be in effect until 11:59 p.m. on June 10, 2024, unless extended as allowed by law.
"It’s a life safety measure, protection of property," said Jodie Fiske, the Manatee County director of public safety.
Fire crews were able to save the homes in the North Port neighborhood, but some had minor damages. Yurchak's fence melted and his windows cracked from the heat, but people in the area are thankful to those who rushed into the fire.
"There’s just not words to describe how thankful we are, and you can tell this is all thanks to them. There should not be a house here without them, it’s pretty amazing," Yurchak said.
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