Colorado mountain community joins together 1 year after fire; developers share plans to rebuild
The fire lasted hours. The cleanup took months. Nearly a year later, the future of a Nederland shopping center destroyed by flames is finally starting to take shape.
And through all of it, one thing kept turning: The Carousel of Happiness was one of the few structures left standing after a fire destroyed the neighboring Caribou Village shopping center on Oct. 9, 2025.
For Carousel of Happiness founder Scott Harrison, watching the carousel turn brings him right back to the night he thought he might lose it too. "It's extremely emotional. I have a hard time. Sort of capturing it all in my head," he told CBS Colorado.
The fire started just before 4 a.m. Harrison drove down within minutes, working alongside fire crews to help however he could.
"I was using a garden hose just to ... It's the only thing I knew what to do to be helpful," Harrison explained.
More than a dozen small businesses were inside the shopping center when the fire destroyed the complex, which made up a sizeable part of the small town's sales tax revenue. Harrison said neighbors gathered in the days following, leaning on one another and looking to the carousel for support.
All that's left is a small square of darkened wood Harrison kept on the outside of the carousel.
"I just wanted to, you know, recognize the event and how serious it was," Harrison said.
Harrison said he hopes the joy the carousel brings to the community can help everyone join together after the small town lost so much last year.
As developers pushed for a quick cleanup, months of back-and-forth surrounding specific state cleanup procedures have delayed their efforts. The footprint of the old shopping center remains empty.
In the year since the fire, some business owners have found new locations, while some others are waiting to see if they can return.
Developers are working on plans to rebuild.
Ben Myers with Tebo Properties managed the shopping center before the fire. He's now helping to plan what comes next. He says the new development will look familiar, but it won't be built the same way.
"We really wanted to keep the mountain theme, the mountain charm, but also bring it up to today's building code standards," Myers told CBS Colorado.
That means more sprinklers, improved accessibility and fire-resistant building materials. The new spaces are also planned at about 1,600 square feet, something Myers hopes will make it affordable for smaller businesses to return. Although, Myers says exact costs aren't clear yet.
"Before the fire, we were 100% occupied with unique, vibrant businesses," Myers said, "Our leasing goal is to achieve that same kind of building."
Myers is also meeting with former business owners on Friday to go over the development plans and get feedback as everyone plans for the future.
But, as the community moves ahead, they are also honoring what happened last year. In the coming days, Harrison says a plaque will be placed at the Carousel of Happiness near that remaining piece of charred wood. It will recognize the fire, the loss and the work to rebuild.
For Harrison, the fact that the carousel survived is personal.
"Means everything to me. It means everything to me that we're still here," he said, "To bring, keep bringing joy to the town and everybody who passes through it."
As the empty lot next door waits for a new chapter, the carousel keeps moving.
Developers expect to submit their new plans for the property Thursday. Myers says they hope to break ground next spring and open the new development in 2028.
