DRAPER, Utah — A popular water park in Draper is back open, just five days after a weekend fire caused about $75,000 to $100,000 worth of damage.
Draper fire crews responded to Cowabunga Bay at 2 a.m. Saturday morning and found the fire was contained to the attic of the building.
Luckily, the emergency sprinkler system was activated, which helped contain the flames.
Dave Huish, one of the park owners said the cause was an electrical fire that started from an exhaust fan in their family restrooms.
Lisa Smith was out at the water park Thursday afternoon with her twin grandsons, Isaac and Ashton.
"I just come every once in a while, when I can get off work and hang out with them," said Smith.
Smith has had season passes to Cowabunga Bay for a few years. She was afraid she wouldn't get to use them after the fire forced the water park to close.
"We were sad that we weren't going be able to enjoy having fun in the water," said Smith.
With the official start to summer later this week, Huish explained it was heartbreaking to have to close.
"When we open for about 95 days a year, any day that we miss off is big for us," said Huish.
However, just five days after the fire, the park was able to open.
It took the help of several community members and organizations to make it possible.
"The building department, the Fire Marshal, multiple structural engineers, the cleanup crew SERVPRO really came together and coordinated everything," said Huish.
Cowabunga Bay kicked off their 14th season, opening on Memorial Day.
"You can look out and see the smiles on everybody's faces, this is what we live for, and this satisfies us," said Huish.
The park is a special place for those like Smith and her family, who enjoy a little cool fun under the summertime sun.
"We sometimes see neighbors and friends and so we get to hang out with everybody," said Smith. "It's very important to have this open for our community."
Huish thanked everybody that helped out and worked long hours to help them get to this point and be able to reopen so quickly.
