A pickup truck slammed into a fence near Lake Cunningham Regional Park on Saturday afternoon and burst into flames, igniting a vegetation fire that quickly spread into the shuttered CaliBunga Water Park and set one of its waterslides ablaze. San Jose Fire Department crews rushed to the 2333 S. White Road address around 4:45 p.m. to find a Tier 1 vegetation fire burning at the edge of the long-troubled water park, which had closed for the season just months earlier amid plans for a major rebuild.
According to CBS News, the blaze was first reported just before 5 p.m., and firefighters worked to keep it from spreading further into the park. ABC7 Bay Area reported that firefighters classified it as a Tier 1 vegetation fire. The crash itself involved a pickup truck that collided with a fence and caught fire, according to ABC7 Bay Area, with flames then jumping from the vehicle into nearby brush. The station reported that fire officials shared video showing one of CaliBunga's waterslides fully engulfed, and that firefighters asked the public to avoid the area while crews worked the scene.
The fire quickly burned through surrounding brush before reaching a waterslide in the northwest section of the water park, and crews had it contained by 6 p.m., per the same account. Because the park has sat closed to visitors since June, nobody was on the attractions when the flames tore through the area.
A Park Already in Limbo
The timing is notable: San Jose officials announced on June 11 that water park operations at CaliBunga would be temporarily suspended for the 2026 season, according to the City of San José. Even with the slides and pools closed, Lake Cunningham Regional Park includes adjacent facilities such as the Action Sports Park, one of the region's largest skate and bike parks.
City leaders had already set their sights on reinventing the 23-acre site rather than simply reopening it. San Jose selected local firm Lakeside Partners to draft a new master plan and redevelop the water park into what officials described as an upgraded aquatic destination, as reported by edhat. That redevelopment push would give the property a new direction.
From Raging Waters to a Money Pit
The site, formerly known as Raging Waters San Jose, is a 23-acre water park. Hoodline previously reported that the park announced it would close for the season and not reopen in 2024.
The park later operated under the name CaliBunga. But the renovation proved rockier than expected: operators publicly compared the park to a money pit, citing crumbling underground pipes and mechanical failures that kept resurfacing even after repairs, according to the same KQED report.
Financial Troubles Beyond San Jose
CaliBunga's operator has faced setbacks elsewhere, too. California Dreamin' Entertainment had a separate lease for a planned sister water park in Sacramento terminated by Cal Expo in February over an unpaid debt dispute exceeding $200,000, according to ThrillZing. Hoodline had previously noted the Sacramento project's ties to the operator in coverage of the city's X Games hosting plans.
It remains unclear how badly the waterslide was damaged or whether the fire will affect Lakeside Partners' timeline for demolishing and rebuilding the site. Details on the cause of the pickup truck crash, including who was driving and whether anyone was hurt, have not been released.
