During the early morning hours of October 9, a fire broke out at Nederland’s Caribou Village Shopping Center causing major destruction of the facility. Among the 20 businesses that call the shopping center home – including Very Nice Brewing Company and Mountain Man Outdoor Store – is the Wild Bear Mountain Ecology Center, which houses numerous animals.

According to Wild Bear Nature Center, their space was lost to the blaze, resulting in the deaths of ‘animal ambassadors,’ too. While the number of animals that were killed was not released, one animal was mentioned – a turtle named Westie that’s been with Wild Bear Nature Center for 15 years.

“She was part of our family (like all of our creatures), but her personality made so many people laugh and reach back into their own memories of turtles who crossed their paths,” reads a social media post from the organization about Westie. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our beloved ambassador animals, cherished by many in our community and visitors from around the world.”

Wild Bear Nature Center is currently in the process of moving to a new permanent nature center near Mud Lake. According to the organization, that project is still on track, with the fire making the “new facility even more urgent and important.”

Wild Bear Nature Center serves as “Boulder County’s only all-ages nature center open 360 days of the year,” per the organization’s website. “And it’s free.” The organization has been around since 1995 and aims to inspire lifelong connections to nature. Wild Bear specializes in mountain ecology and offers numerous hands-on experiences.

Wild Bear Nature Center has posted a donation link to help fund their recovery from the fire and the new facility. It has since raised more than $3,000 in hours since the fire. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe that was created to benefit all shops and employees impacted by the blaze has raised more than $40,000.

The fire prompted an evacuation order for those east of downtown Nederland and south of Barker Reservoir at about 4:30 a.m. on Thursday morning. The fire has since been controlled and extinguished, with the evacuation order lifted at 10 a.m.