ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s been two weeks since a massive fire shut down roads and businesses near the Big I. No one was hurt, but it destroyed a building used to do good in our community. The building belonged to the local nonprofit, Oliver Rigby Foundation. 

Albuquerque Fire Rescue reps say their investigators have identified a person of interest. The investigation is ongoing and they have multiple agencies working on it. But for the Oliver Rigby Foundation, they haven’t fully recovered. Since the fire, the community has stepped up to help but the nonprofit still needs a space for storage as workers help provide essentials for animal shelters across New Mexico.

“She said, ‘I think your warehouse is on fire.’ I’m like, ‘Oh my God,'” co-founder Terri Dean said.

She’s essentially starting from scratch after a massive fire turned the building her nonprofit used into a total loss. Terri Dean is the co-founder of the Oliver Rigby Foundation, which has been helping animals since 2021.

“We work primarily with hotels, people in the hospitality industry, and they are kind and gracious enough to donate their soft goods, their towels, blankets, sheets,” Dean continued. “Then we work with anybody who needs anything that’s either fostering animals, has an animal shelter. We’ve transported 1000s and 1000s of pounds of goods over the last few years.”

Dean explained the building off Menaul was full of donations ready to be spread across the state.

“We had a pretty full warehouse. And the other piece of that is we’re getting into our colder nights here in New Mexico and in Albuquerque, and those soft goods go directly to the shelters,” Dean said.

Now, the Foundation is in limbo, trying to find a space to build back the product they lost.

“The next step before we can take any physical donations is we need to secure a space. We’re hoping that maybe somebody will come through that has an empty warehouse or some storage area that they could donate for a bit until we can assimilate and figure out where we need to be,” Dean said.

KOB4 updated Dean on the investigation, telling her AFR is still figuring out how the fire started but has a person of interest.

“Shame on anybody of interest,” Dean continued. “It’s just a double heartbreak. The last I heard, it was like a gas leak. So, I don’t know, let those guys do what they do. I’m just doing what I do. Everybody stay in their lane. But no, that’s heartbreaking.” 

Dean explained she’s focused on the future but is actively figuring out work-arounds to make sure she can help as many animals as she can. 

“I had somebody that was ready to donate a bunch of things, and it was just kind of more of a personal donation. And I put her directly in touch with the founder of another rescue group here, and she was like, ‘oh my god, yeah, we’d love them.’ It was a win for everybody.”

While they’re putting a pause on physical donations right now, you can donate money online. Dean also says they’re a small group so they’re always looking for volunteers.