At 2:35 a.m., Seminole County firefighters were called to a blaze at Wekiva Island, the popular outdoor bar/marina on the banks of the Wekiva River near Wekiwa Springs State Park. This morning, news outlets shared photos of the devastation, which showed a building devastated by fire, and people mourned their favorite riverside hang on Facebook and Twitter. But this evening, co-owner Mary Sue Weinaug says on Facebook that the fire won’t be the end of Wekiva Island. In fact, she says, it’ll be open for business again tomorrow. Per a post shared on Wekiva Island’s Facebook page, she writes:
This is a devastating fire. It WAS ELECTRICAL. The fire and arson inspectors have already made their determination and ruled it electrical and determined it’s point of origin. ONLY THE BAR/CONCESSION building burned (which is a lot) but NOT THE CABANAS or the BOATS or the CLASSROOM! We will reopen for business tomorrow! So you may absolutely show your support by coming down and purchasing a drink, renting a canoe or buy one of the few t-shirts that were not stored in the concession building.
Weinaug also share video footage of the aftermath of the fire, which you can watch below. Wekiva Island is a perennial Best of Orlando winner. It was voted Best Place to canoe/kayak/paddleboard in our Best of Orlando 2013 Readers Poll. In 2012, we voted it Best Place to make you really feel like you’re in Florida. In 2011, we named it Best endangered drinking spot. It’s also home to the annual Wekiva Paint Out.

This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2013.