NEDERLAND — The Lakeview Fire—the structure fire that engulfed Nederland’s Caribou Village Shopping Center and destroyed over 20 local businesses—represents a trauma for residents that resonates differently with each individual, and unfortunately still lingers, as the site of the disaster remains littered with the twisted steel and tattered wreckage of the communal hub which housed thousands of beloved memories. 

Business owners have shown their resilience in the face of incredible personal turbulence, as their lives were thrust into desperate change and anxious recovery. They adapted to the Town’s few available locations, or shifted to entirely new vocations. In record time, bolstered by a loving community, most of those impacted were able to find their footing in a rough, unforgiving landscape. 

As those hit hardest by the Lakeview Fire navigate new leases, insurance claims, and the endless complications of rebuilding their livelihoods, any progress towards healing is impeded by the sheer sight of the destruction of what for many represents the last decade-plus of their professional lives.

The Town of Nederland has urged expediency in regards to the clean-up process, if not for the emotional wellbeing of the community, but for the economic implications of the loss to both commerce and culture.

Tebo Properties made a promise to rebuild during their Nederland Strong benefit concert; and the Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is conducting the testing necessary for a disaster of this nature, while ensuring public safety throughout the process. 

Any “blame” towards these entities lobbed from the community is truly just a call for transparency, as five months passing makes promises wear thin and the need for action a foundational step toward real healing.

And though the business owners have shown immeasurable grace and patience in the almost half a year since the fire, for some the miscommunication that has caused their stalled closure or catharsis is a disrespect too far, as seemingly unilateral actions have resulted in the unnecessary loss of personal property—property which represented both storied pasts and possible futures. 

“I just need someone to explain to me what in the hell transpired between December 22 and last Wednesday when they decided to just crush all of our shit with no regard and no respect,” one former tenant said as he reached out to Colorado news outlets to vent his frustrations after learning that items he wished to retrieve from the remains of the fire were destroyed.  

Tim Dumke has owned the Laundry Room since 2022, and has also managed Nederland’s Backcountry Pizza, both major fixtures in the Caribou Village Shopping Center, as so many residents relied on the necessary laundromat, and loved to sit at Backcountry for a beer and a slice as their last load of clothes spun in the dryer.

Both businesses are gone now, as is any potential opportunity at recouping all that Dumke had put in, as thousands of dollars worth of industrial clothes washers and dryers lie in a pile, indistinguishable from the rest of the wreckage. 

“You could’ve f***ing looked and saw my machines were in perfectly good order; that’s over $100,000 worth of equipment, and they just arbitrarily went and destroyed all of the remaining property that I was promised I could retrieve out of there to help rebuild my business and my life.

“It doesn’t make sense and I want some accountability from whoever is responsible for this,” Dumke continued. “I believe that the tenants that paid their fair share of rent for this property, as well as this town that’s had to deal with the fallout from this, deserves some answers.”

Representatives for Tebo Properties detailed how construction crews were contracted to carry out their site stabilization plan, recently approved by CDPHE, which is a required next step in order for final asbestos testing to be completed so that site demolition and clean-up can commence. 

“The site stabilization plan basically involved heavy machinery under very strict and regulated conditions going on the site and ultimately taking down some of the superstructures,” Bill Rigler, spokesperson for Tebo Properties, said to 9News in response to Dumke’s statements.

"It was not like a tractor or tread was rolling over the top of it. It was an arm that was telescoping down and kind of picking away at it,” Rigler described the equipment used in the delicate operation before addressing if personal items on site may have been damaged. “We have done our utmost to make sure that's not the case. It's just a very challenging situation because of these restrictions."

Dumke’s claims dispute Rigler’s assessment, as he maintains that Tebo Properties allegedly ordered the premature demolition which caused the damage to the property he was promised he would be given the opportunity to collect. A letter from CDPHE to shopping center tenants not only clarifies why the site is being referred to as “contaminated,” but also seemingly supports Dumke’s position. 

“The current asbestos designation was not initiated arbitrarily by the state, nor was it the result of a decision to restrict access,” Michael Ogletree, Senior Director of State Air Quality Programs for CDPHE wrote in his email. “The designation was triggered by site conditions that arose after Tebo’s contractors performed work outside the scope of the approved stabilization plan.” 

Ogletree explained how the sampling for asbestos conducted in November yielded negative results, though it was still “inadequate to satisfy the asbestos inspection requirements necessary to protect public health and the environment.” More testing was to be done, but site stabilization was required first. 

Though Tebo Properties claimed that they were simply fulfilling said site stabilization requirements, the work completed was apparently unsanctioned. 

“The unapproved work in February resulted in a structural collapse and significant commingling of materials rendering further sampling unviable,” Ogletree wrote, adding that the state regulations require a site to be treated as if it contains asbestos when certain conditions to the site drastically change such as they did.  

“It is important to clarify that the presumptive asbestos designation does not mean that personal property is permanently inaccessible or automatically destined for disposal,” Ogletree continued. “It means that retrieval must occur under controlled environmental and safety protocols to prevent exposure to airborne fibers.”

According to CDPHE, Tebo Properties were responsible for establishing a “decontamination area” on site and, with assistance from CDPHE-approved and supplied environmental consultants, will execute a work plan to ensure regulatory requirements are met and that a controlled retrieval process is provided.  

“Any retrieval must be coordinated through the site-wide work plan developed by the property owner to ensure overall site safety and regulatory compliance. Our objective is to ensure that any retrieval occurs in a manner that protects workers, business owners, and the surrounding community from exposure risks.”

Ogletree’s letter comes as a response to a joint missive authored by Dr. Catherine Valen and signed by several Caribou Village Shopping Center tenants. 

“Many of us can visibly identify safes and other durable property that appear to have survived,” the letter reads. “In portions of the structure that sustained less severe damage, additional recoverable items may remain within debris. We respectfully request development of a controlled access protocol allowing supervised retrieval under certified environmental oversight.

“We are prepared to: use certified asbestos contractors if required; enter only under supervised conditions; execute liability waivers if appropriate; and follow all prescribed containment and PPE requirements.”

Included amongst the signees of the missive is Claudia Schauffler, former property manager of the Caribou Village Shopping Center and owner of clothing boutique The Shop. 

Schauffler has long supported Tebo Properties and their work towards shaping Nederland’s commercial landscape, though the situation regarding the unfortunate, possibly premature demolition at the Lakeview Fire site has given her pause, as within the remnants of her shop stands an 80-year-old family heirloom, just out of reach.  

“My mother had a dress form that her aunt gave her from Macy's in New York in the ‘40s—her aunt worked there and somehow she had acquired it,” Schauffler explained. “My mother used it the whole time we were growing up because she made all her own clothes, and she had a name for it. Her name was Mehitable.”

Schauffler described the dress form’s fabric-covered frame, its ornate iron base and wheels, and how she naturally inherited Mehitable after her mother passed away, and how Mehitable had become an important part of The Shop.  

“It was completely intact after the fire; of course the fabric burned off, but I could see the form. I could see it through the rubble in the back of the shop very close to where I had left it. It’s really frustrating when I can see the one thing I really want standing there.” 

While Tebo Properties and CDPHE lay out their respective timelines towards rectifying the rubble, and the Town of Nederland idly watches, residents and business owners are left to search within themselves for the answer to the question of “when does healing truly begin?” 

Nederland Fire Protection District’s Fire Marshal Andrew Joslin asked the existential question in a previous interview about the Lakeview Fire, stating that for him, relief and healing began when he learned from the Colorado Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives that there was no evidence of arson having been the cause of the devastation. 

For others the line is drawn somewhere else. Some may not even know where; some may be far from it, or claim that they’ve already passed it. Some just abide. 

“I was very eager to see what was left and thought I’d be mad when they cleared it all out for the stabilization,” Jeffrey Green, co-owner of Very Nice Brewing Company shared, “but I had the opportunity to see it up close and pretty much realized it was a total loss.

“Although I completely understand it and fully feel Tim’s outrage is valid, I felt a great weight lifted when I just let it all go.”

Green wished to salvage many personal items from the site of his and his wife Susan’s first brewery location, including personal photographs, the lighted Very Nice sign, and some custom wooden tables made by Susan’s father. 

“The past is best left in the past. We are lucky to have the here and now and that’s why they call it ‘The Present.’ As far as Tebo goes, I probably join everyone else in the hope he creates a space where local business can thrive.”