NEDERLAND, Colo. — Just four days after a devastating fire tore through part of Nederland’s downtown business district, destroying 18 businesses and displacing nearly 100 workers, a small sign of hope has emerged.
The town’s main grocery store, B & F Mountain Market, is open once again. For this small mountain community, the store is more than just a place to grab milk and bread, it’s a lifeline.
“A big part of the town”
Residents told Denver7 Monday having the store reopen so quickly means everything.
“This place is great, especially for the people who don’t have transportation to get down below,” said Jack Kahn, a Nederland resident talking about the next closest option for a large grocery store, which is roughly 30 minutes away in Boulder. “Thank God it missed the corner of this building and didn’t burn anything down.”
Others said the market’s survival gives the community something to rally around.
“The grocery store is still here, which is absolutely critical. This is a big part of the town,” said Gary Wockner, another Nederland resident. “A lot of the community seems to be rallying around the devastation and has brought people together. It’s going to be a hard year. So many businesses have lost income. It’s going to be hard; there’s no other way to put it.”
A close call
The flames came dangerously close to the market; calm weather that night may have saved it.
“If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the wind was not blowing at all that night,” Wockner said.
Inside the grocery store on Monday, the sounds of carts rolling down aisles and scanners beeping at checkout are once again filling the store, a small but powerful sign of recovery.
Larger recovery efforts underway
Just steps from the reopened grocery store, rubble still marks where 18 other businesses once stood.
A GoFundMe set up to support those businesses and workers has now raised nearly $200,000. Organizers told Denver7 the money will help the businesses and the nearly 100 employees who suddenly found themselves out of work.
Investigation continues
Meanwhile, ATF and local investigators remain on scene, combing through debris to determine what caused the early-morning fire.
No injuries were reported, but community leaders say the economic impact will be felt for months, if not years, to come. The fire knocked out nearly 30% of the town’s businesses and tax revenue.
“We’ll get through this,” said Andrew Dewart, chair of the Nederland Downtown Development Authority. “Nederland is a resilient community. Everyone comes together to support one another.”
A community defined by resilience
From the outside, Nederland’s recovery is just beginning. But inside B & F Mountain Market, restocked shelves and familiar faces offer a glimpse of what’s next, a community coming together to rebuild, one day at a time.
“Hopefully the town can work together with the property owner, and they can work on getting a plan and getting it rebuilt as soon as possible,” Dewart said.
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