City enacts burn ban due to dryness of region

NORTH PORT — A burn ban starts Thursday in North Port.

It will prohibit all activities with an open flame.

The ban is being put into effect due to the concerning dry weather and the threat of brush fires.

The city observes the Keetch-Byram drought index in conjunction with the fire danger index, assessing things like dryness, winds, and humidity level to make decisions.

Sarasota County announced a fire ban May 5. Charlotte County has not enacted a burn ban.

Sarasota County, in its entirety, is currently the driest in the state, North Port Fire Chief Scott Titus said.

“I’m not sure I have seen that before,” Titus said.

The last time a burn ban was enacted in North Port was in 2022.

The decision comes on the back of a number of fires having occurred over recent weeks in the area, including one which diverted traffic off of I-75 on Monday, northeast of Venice.

With regard to the ban coming to an end, Titus said, it is a matter of it raining and letting that KDBI scale “come down.”