Asbestos testing delays cleanup months after fire destroys Colorado shopping center

Months after a devastating fire destroyed a shopping center in Colorado's Nederland community, the cleanup of the building remains in limbo.

The property owner, Tebo Properties, is accusing the state of putting paperwork over people, claiming they've been repeatedly blocked from cleaning up debris from the fire that destroyed 18 businesses at the Caribou Village Shopping Center nearly four months ago. Tebo says it has conducted over 100 tests, all of which have come back clear of asbestos. However, state regulators don't trust those results because some of the rubble is blocked from being tested.

The state is pushing for the cleanup to be performed as if asbestos were present. Tebo calls it a "Catch-22" for business owners, telling CBS Colorado they've been ready to clean up for months, but the state's requirements would cost them too much time and money. 

"We know for a fact that there's no asbestos on site," said Tebo Properties spokesperson Bill Rigler. "The building itself was built after asbestos stopped being used. We know that there are business owners and residents who are desperate to be able to get back onto that site, and we want to do everything that we can."

Tebo has released renderings of what the new shopping center will look like once it is constructed. The company said it will house approximately 24 storefronts and will be available to previous tenants first.