NEDERLAND - Some Nederland residents said they were having trouble sleeping to explain why they were awake in the early morning hours of Thursday, October 9, 2025. Some were awakened by their own dogs, or dogs in their neighborhood, who all began to bark incessantly. One man up in Big Springs was preparing for a hike, when suddenly he thought he heard an explosion. 

 Residents reported hearing the loud crackling of the fire, or looking out their doors and windows to the sight of flickering orange and billowing smoke. Some who were closer to the scene watched burning embers fall from the sky, landing and luckily spreading only ash about the landscape. 

An active Boulder County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) deputy called in the fire at 3:41 a.m. on Thursday morning. Crews from the Nederland Fire Protection District (NFPD) drove through town with sirens off, arriving at 20 Lakeview Drive to find the entire Caribou Village Shopping Center engulfed in flames. By 4 a.m., the beloved community hub was a lost cause.

Firefighters maneuvered strategically to each end of the building to fight the blaze and keep it from spreading to any nearby structures or trees. 

Slowly the community began to gather, half-awake and in shock, some of them guests staying at the Boulder Creek Lodge, other employees and owners of the businesses that were actively burning down.

Small explosions could be heard in addition to the crackling of the flames, as the building was full of accelerants, from liquor, cooking oil, and timber, to camping gas, alcohol production vats, and oxygen tanks.

NFPD were joined by first responders from across the county and the Peak to Peak area, including Sugarloaf and Timberline Fire Protection Districts, Boulder Emergency Squad, AMR Ambulance, Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office, and Black Hawk and Central City Fire Departments, who were on call.

Due to an intense whirlwind of smoke and the potential for the fire to spread further east into adjacent neighborhoods, an evacuation order for the residential zone directly east of the shopping center was sent out by Boulder County around 4:28 a.m. It was at this time that media outlets from across Colorado began joining the gathering crowds and interviewing some residents who had just been told to abandon their homes.  

While these residents evacuated, others took to social media to immediately speculate as to the cause of the fire, making assumptions based on reports of electrical issues and gas leaks that have recently plagued the building, and even pointing to the possibility of arson. 

Conversations that have been going on for years were reinvigorated in relation to the Town’s Emergency Plan, the necessity for fire alert horns, the creation of a second bridge across Middle Boulder Creek, and the completion of an emergency egress road for Big Springs.

Many people expressed how lucky all of Nederland is, that weather conditions remained calm, and that the infamous mountain breeze didn't pick up to introduce another factor to the equation.

The fight to contain the fire put considerable strain on the Town of Nederland’s water pressure, prompting Town staff to send an email to all residents, requesting that water be conserved.

NFPD Chief Charlie Schmidtmann specified that, despite some complications with water pressure in certain areas, there was enough water and enough pressure for their efforts. 

Schmidtmann added that the Town helped to reallocate water sources for the fire effort, and it was rumored that water was even being airlifted out of Mud Lake. Tanker trucks were also continuously in rotation to get refilled at the Nederland fire station.

Upon arrival at the scene, Xcel Energy was unsure they had the authority to cut into the street in order to cut off the gas to the shopping center. Schmidtmann stated that once the fire had started to reach gas valves, Xcel was ordered to cut the gas at any cost.

After more than three and a half hours of fighting the fire and protecting the community from further disaster, the NFPD officially declared the Lakeview Fire under control at 7:11 a.m.

“Fortunately, due to low winds, mild temperatures, and the rapid response from all departments involved, the fire was successfully contained to the commercial structure,” The NFPD’s official statement reads. “Unfortunately, the building is considered a total loss.”

Augustina’s Winery, the Boulder County Sheriff’s Substation, Brightwood Music, Columbine Family Care, Dam Liquor Store, Linda’s Pizza (formerly Backcountry Pizza), Mountain Man Outdoor Store, Nederland Chiropractic and Wellness Center, Nederland Art Studios (formerly Kaleidoscope Gallery), O’Neil Rocky Mountain Art, Picasso’s Hair Studio, Spinning Silica Art Collective, Tadasana Mountain Yoga, The Laundry Room, The Shop, Tres Gringos, Very Nice Brewing Company, and Wild Bear Nature Center were all destroyed or heavily damaged in the fire.

Also destroyed were the businesses of those practitioners and artists who subleased space, including massage therapist LB Witulski, acupuncturists Inna Guseva and Deb Weise, Juanita McLaughlin from the Oriental Healing Clinic, and artist Danielle Crouse of dmc Artwork. 

By 9 a.m., the Caribou Village Shopping Center was no more than a smoldering husk of a building, without floors, a roof, or walls. NFPD firefighters were on the scene all day long, continuously hosing down the site, completely smothering any possibility of the fire reigniting.

BCSO deputies took positions blocking off the site and called in backfill deputies so normal patrols could continue through town. A deputy was stationed for a short period of time up at the Nederland Community Center (NCC), where some residents went when evacuated, and where Nederland leaders began to plan their emergency response.

NCC Director Dawn Baumhover and Town Manager Jonathan Cain, along with NCC staff, worked all morning to prepare the center as an emergency shelter, and Mayor Pro Tem Nichole Sterling—whose family had been evacuated—had to step in to sign and make official the emergency declaration for the Town of Nederland.

At 9:47 a.m. the evacuation order was lifted and families were able to return home, though Big Springs residents were informed that they would have to detour to Conger Street from Lakeview Drive in order to access their neighborhood. 

The morning sun only worked to accentuate the giant plume of smoke that rose from the site, which caused many residents to worry about the air quality. 

Boulder County Public Health and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment conducted mobile air quality monitoring in Boulder and Nederland, determining that, though there were elevated traces of volatile organic compounds in the air on Thursday, all air quality levels were found to be well within safe standards on Friday.

Cain paced feverishly across Town, from NCC to the site of the disaster, holding impromptu meetings in person, as well as on the phone, over text, and over email, coordinating emergency efforts with Nederland’s own department heads, as well as with agencies from all over the state, including the Boulder Office of Disaster Management. 

While actively navigating the crisis, Cain took moments between phone calls to brainstorm how to work with local developers and property owners, including Tebo Properties—owner of the Caribou Village Shopping Center—to pinpoint potential solutions for providing space for displaced businesses to resume their operations.

Just as the Town was working on short term solutions that would best serve the victims of the Lakeview Fire, local organizations, businesses, and individual residents began to mobilize to help those affected by the tragedy. 

The very morning of the fire, Eldora Mountain Resort announced that their upcoming Play Forever Fund donation match challenge, which takes place from now until opening day of the new ski season, will raise funds for “fire-relief efforts.” Eldora stated that they will match every dollar donated to the cause, up to $10,000. 

The Lovin' Cup, the charity run by The Deli owner Ross Alper, donated free sandwiches to first responders the morning of the disaster, and continues to do so as the cleanup operation and investigation move forward.

Many of Nederland’s businesses, including New Moon, Decent Bagel, and Nederland General Store, were shouted out on social media for their generosity and for supplying first responders with much needed sustenance.  

Wild Bear Nature Center set up a benefit to reach a goal of $150,000 for their new location near Mud Lake; a single donor has offered to match the amount if the goal is reached, which would help the new development across the finish line. 

Hands of Time offered free damage estimates, value assessments, and consultations on smoke and chemical removal to those impacted residents whose furniture may have suffered smoke damage. 

Over the weekend and into the next week, residents offered rides and Costco runs for anyone who needed it, as well as tax help and advice on insurance matters, and nearly every local business, artist, and organization stepped up for the cause, which gained momentum under the slogan “Ned Strong.”

Peak to Peak Healthy Communities (P2PHC) organized the “Help On The Way” benefit concert with The Caribou Room, to take place on Wednesday, October 15, at 6:30 p.m., and feature Fretliners, Magoo, and Brittney Wagner. 100% of the proceeds go to the Caribou Village Fire Employee Relief Fund.    

Tebo Properties set up Black Forest as a meeting location for tenants on Thursday, and CEO James Dixon met with tenants over the following days to deliver rent and deposit reimbursement checks, as well as to discuss their plans to host two benefits, including one down the hill, and another at the Black Forest, coordinated by P2PHC. 

Nederland Farmers Market has arranged a Caring Table—which provides free food, “no questions asked”—at their last mini-market and at their upcoming special market on Sunday, October 19, which will feature vendors coming together to raise money for individuals impacted by the Lakeview Fire. 

A group of residents banded together to create a Silent Auction and Bake Sale to benefit the “businesses burned in the Caribou Shopping Center,” which will feature 50 artisans and bakers, as well as prize packages to bid on. The fundraiser will be held at Very Nice Brewing Company’s second location in Gilpin, at 180 Jankowski Drive, over the weekend of October 18 and 19.  

The Nederland Food Pantry (NFP) extended their hours and, with thanks to neighboring pantries bolstering the supply, provided food to those in need while The Market (formally B&F) was closed due to minimal smoke damage.

NFP supplied hot meals to firefighters and emergency coordinators; coordinated with Town staff on supplying a mobile laundry service for the community (which will be stationed at 751 West 4th Street, October 15 to 18, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.); and reached out to Boulder County Workforce and mental health providers to attend the upcoming Human Services Fair, to take place at 196 West 1st Street in Nederland on Thursday, October 23.   

Neighbors to Nederland offered their support as well, including Base Camp at Golden Gate Canyon, who offered free laundry service to anyone affected by the fire, and Blackhawk Pizza, who offered to donate 20% of all proceeds to those affected, as well as free food to any displaced employee from the businesses in the shopping center. 

As soon as they were able, Train Cars Coffee & Kava opened and immediately offered free coffee and donuts to first responders and investigators, and immediately provided a gathering place for the community. 

The Carousel of Happiness, which thankfully only suffered a singed outer wall, offered free rides once power had been restored, and, in the same spirit as Train Cars, provided a place for the community to gather, but also promoted healing and addressing folks’ mental health, especially those residents familiar with fire. 

Given the immense blow the Lakeview Fire will have on the community, and for those residents experiencing trauma, Amy Skinner from Peak to Peak Counselling offered mental health resources to the community, including from the American Psychological Association: https://www.apa.org/topics/disasters-response/; from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network: https://www.nctsn.org/resources/talking-to-; and from the 24/7 Colorado Mental Health Line: Call or Text 988, or visit https://www.988colorado.com.

A fundraiser was created for nearly every business within the shopping center, all of which has been catalogued by The Mountain-Ear and can be found here: https://www.themtnear.com/stories/donate-to-the-lakeview-fire-victims,62399.

One GoFundMe to benefit business owners and their employees, created by local realtor Dan Vollmer, has gained statewide and national attention, as it was created at 8 a.m. the morning of the disaster, and by 2 p.m. had raised $52,000. 

That night, during an impromptu potluck, concert, and community gathering at Knotted Root, Vollmer’s fund had reached over $100,000; as of the writing of this article, the fund is up to $212,562. 

Over the weekend, as most of the Town groups gather in the face of crisis to show resilience, responders went right into the next phase of the operation, which was to survey the wreckage and carefully clean up the site to make it safe enough for investigators to conduct their work and find a cause for the tragedy.

Once the fire was contained, the NFPD began coordinating the cleanup and investigation, along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Multi-Agency Fire Investigation Team, and the Division of Fire Prevention and Control.

The NFPD posted on social media on October 13 to address the community’s concerns regarding the logistics of the investigation, stating that due to the size of the structure—roughly 30,000 square feet—and because of the amount of commerce associated with the building, ATF was called in to assist for what NFPD and BCSO surmise will be a large and lengthy undertaking.

It was made clear that neither ATF, the Colorado Department of Fire Prevention and Control, nor the Colorado Bureau of Investigation plan to take over the investigation; that they are working alongside local authorities, and are currently doing so without pay, due to the government shutdown. 

As to the question of cause, the post from the NFPD indicates that a cause of the fire has not yet been determined, as the site is being cleaned and carefully combed through, not only for evidence but also for items that may be sentimental to the business owners. 

The NFPD estimates that the investigation process, including the collection, processing, and lab review of evidence, will take some time, perhaps up to a week or more. 

Crews carefully picked through the building once it had finally stopped smoking by Saturday morning. High Performance Earthworks, owned by local Jesse Seavers, provided heavy equipment to help with the efforts. 

On Sunday morning, as the familiar mountain winds began to pick up, Seavers expertly maneuvered his excavator around the east side of the shopping center, squeezed tightly between the site fence and the service poles that provide electricity to the Carousel, to get to a loose roof slat that was draped across the steel foundation of the second floor and was flapping dangerously in the high winds.

NFPD and BCSO worked all weekend from dawn to dusk to make the site safe for investigators, including cutting the steel framework, hanging precariously off the front of the building.

By Monday morning, the entire building had been gutted of its detritus, the parking lot full of piles of rubble that were being moved around and sifted through, as investigators wearing full gear and gas masks trod through the empty guts of the center.

On Tuesday afternoon, investigators and authorities stopped to examine a particular piece of wreckage, which together they analyzed for some time, snapping photographs and eventually flagging the debris with a yellow marker, potentially labeling it as evidence. 

Tuesday night, after many of the business owners impacted by the Lakeview Fire met with Vollmer to discuss the logistics of rightfully dispersing the funds of the GoFundMe, as well as receiving free tax assistance from Stephanie Bowyer, the Town of Nederland’s Board of Trustees (BOT) met for a special meeting.

During the one-hour meeting, Trustees voted to approve Resolution 2025-25, which continues the emergency declaration signed by Mayor Pro Tem Sterling the morning of the fire.

Declaring an emergency allows the Town to: “access local emergency funds and state/federal assistance programs; to implement emergency procurement and contracting procedures; to temporarily adjust policies or ordinances to facilitate rapid response; and to ensure eligibility for potential reimbursement under state or federal disaster programs.”

The BOT also voted on Ordinance 881, which extended comprehensive emergency and local disaster authority to the Mayor Pro Tem and the Town Manager, in order to address the lapse in procedure that occurred during the Lakeview Fire when Cain and Sterling were unable to contact Mayor Billy Giblin. 

“Under current municipal code, Nederland lacked detailed provisions specifying the scope of local authority during a declared emergency,” the Agenda Information Memorandum reads. “This ordinance clarifies and expands those authorities to enable timely and lawful responses in future emergency events.”

Cain also provided the BOT with details on how the Town is coordinating with local organizations so to provide assistance to those in need due to the fire. 

“The Town is working with the Nederland Downtown Development Authority, Boulder County, and state and nonprofit partners to help every affected business and worker navigate insurance, identify new locations, and access financial and technical assistance as recovery programs become available,” a Frequently Asked Questions document from the Town of Nederland states.

“Our commitment is simple: to stand with every business and every worker until our downtown recovers. We know that recovery will be different for everyone, and we’re committed to ensuring equitable access to every available resource.” 

The FAQ can be viewed here: https://townofnederland.colorado.gov/press-release/caribou-village-fire-community-information-recovery-faq.

Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, two press conferences were held on Friday, October 10, during which BCSO's Public Information Officer Vinnie Montez provided contact information for anyone with details pertinent to the investigation (email BCSOtips@bouldercounty.gov or call 303-441-3674), and Congressman Joe Neguse and Governor Jared Polis provided some silver linings for business owners. 

Both Neguse and Polis noted that the Lakeview Fire, despite eliminating 30% of the town's sales tax revenue, would most likely not fit the definition of a "major disaster," and therefore businesses may not be eligible for certain loans from the Small Business Association.

The state representatives assured the crowd of business owners that there were programs available to help them from the Office of Economic Development and International Trade.

"It's going to be challenging," Polis said, referring to stores recouping their losses and attempting to reopen. "For instance, these stores have lost the inventory they had.”

Polis described how some instruments stored at Brightwood Music were irreplaceable, but that he was working to pave the way to get these business owners close to full recovery. “We want to make it as easy as possible for them to recover."

Cain has detailed how he is looking into alternative options for available spaces throughout Nederland, and has been working with local property owners, including Resham Gurung, Ron Mitchell, and Tebo Properties, on finding solutions. 

Tebo Properties has signaled that the Black Forest building will be made available, though Tebo representative Ben Myers (ben@teboproperties.com, 231-675-5892) stated during the Tuesday BOT meeting that the interior of the building requires “hundreds of thousands” of dollars' worth of construction and currently has a bad odor. 

On Tuesday afternoon, NFPD personnel were actively assessing lots on East 1st Street, determining if the space, if supplied with two or three modular buildings, would provide adequate safety for tenants and be accessible to firefighters. They stopped when they saw Ross Alper exiting The Deli, and were sure to thank him for the free sandwiches.

Alper just thanked the firefighters right back, for all that they had done during the disaster to mitigate the risk to the community. 

As the days and weeks continue, small signs of healing will begin to show throughout Nederland. Even now, some of those familiar faces the community is used to seeing behind the counters and in the kitchens of the Caribou Village Shopping Center can be seen working at other locations around town. 

Some businesses are already operating again, including Tadasana Mountain Yoga, who hosted a successful popup at Eldora Mountain Resort on Sunday, which saw up to 120 guests. They will continue to host classes at NCC. 

Dr. Camarata and Dr. Valen will continue seeing patients starting October 22 at their new location at 268 West 3rd Street, and massage therapist LB Witulski is being given space at the Nederland Community Presbyterian Church. 

And though the future of every one of the 20 businesses from the center may not be certain, there is still comfort in the fact that many do have plans to reopen already in the works, including the Mountain Man Outdoor Store 2.0, which could soon become a beacon of Nederland’s resilience, something which is greatly needed in this time of grief and uncertainty.

For more information to donate to the vicitms of the Lakeview Fire, visit https://www.themtnear.com/stories/donate-to-the-lakeview-fire-victims,62399

Update October 16, 2025  -

On Wednesday, October 15, 2025, during a meeting with Nederland and Boulder County representatives and affected business owners, and during the NFPD’s monthly Board Meeting, Chief Charlie Schmidtmann stated that the ATF have debriefed NFPD and BCSO and marked their part of the investigation complete. 

Evidence —which includes hours of surveillance footage, videos submitted by the community, and interviews conducted— has to now be processed, which may take some time, though the community should hopefully hear something by next week.

The NFPD will share the findings of the investigation in regards to the fire; BCSO will share any information pertaining to a criminal case, however it has been clearly stated by Schmidtmann that the investigation has shown that the fire WAS NOT intentionally set.

Schmidtmann added that a lot of resources were spent following false leads of arson.