Bartlett Lake Marina reopens following nearby wildfires

BARTLETT LAKE, AZ (AZFamily) — c

“The marina, the restaurant, the boat rentals, the boat club, everything is open on our point for the weekend,” said Bryan Church, the owner of Bartlett Lake Marina.

The road in question is called Bartlett Dam Road. Church said wildfire closures are becoming more common on that road than they would like.

“We’ve been closed five times this year which is very unusual,” said Church. “Lighting strike, that’s mother nature doing her thing can’t do anything about it.”

The most recent wildfire sparked Sunday when a storm passed through the area.

In minutes, flames lit up the desert surrounding the marina. “This bartlett fire is the closest we’ve had to us this year it’s probably only half a mile away.

”They had to dock the boats and close the marina for about four days, as long as the other closures have lasted this year.

Each day this happens is an added struggle to keep business afloat.

“It definitely hurts us but we are getting some very kind messages from the public that use our facility. They care about us pray for us just wonderful stuff,” said Church. As Church prepares the marina for people to enjoy this weekend, he said he couldn’t be more grateful to the fire crews this year for helping protect everything.

“We’ve got to know them pretty well the past few months and they are a bunch of great guys and gals. They do an unbelievable job with this stuff.”

Everything at the marina will be back open this weekend. However, there are still some closures at the lake itself. This is only on the north side, where there are campgrounds.

Officials aren’t sure when the camping area will reopen.

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