Two Nederland first responders battled the Cold Springs Fire on Sunday in an effort to save their neighbors’ homes — even after their own was destroyed by flames.

Charlie and Bretlyn Schmidtmann, who each have spent more than 20 years in the emergency services field, are staying with a friend during the brief rest periods they can grab, their friend Tessa Miller said.

Miller set up a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign on Saturday to help the couple. By Sunday evening, it had raised nearly $40,000.

“(Charlie) was on shift yesterday at the fire department and was one of the first responders when it first broke out,” Miller said.

The fire was first reported around 1:30 p.m. Saturday on Colo. 119 at Cold Springs Road and the Peak to Peak Highway.

Charlie Schmidtmann had time to rescue a horse and miniature donkey from his property, Miller said, but his house already was in flames when he arrived.

Bretlyn Schmidtmann is an ER nurse for Boulder Community Health, a paramedic and volunteer firefighter, Miller said. She worked with Miller for years on an ambulance in Boulder.

Charlie Schmidtmann is a captain with Nederland Fire Protection District.

Miller said she’s “spoken with them indirectly,” and that she’s trying to coordinate the fundraiser.

The couple’s two dogs ran away when the fire reached their home, and since then one has been found, Miller said.

“If anybody sees a Saint Bernard named Gino running around…” she said, trailing off. “It’s a miracle they found one of them.”

Their yellow Labrador and husky mix, Clyde, was found somewhat near their home, Bretlyn Schmidtmann said. He is staying at the fire department.

She said she and her husband caught an hour’s worth of sleep at 3 a.m. Sunday. She was out of town Saturday, but helped with a large-animal rescue Sunday morning on Sherwood Road.

At an afternoon community meeting at the Nederland Middle/Senior High School, Bretlyn Schmidtmann urged residents to exercise caution and not return to their homes to retrieve animals or belongings.

“We want people to be sensible and safe,” she said. “It’s not worth it.”

The house, at 325 Sherwood Drive, is a complete loss. Sunday, the Boulder Office of Emergency Management confirmed that three homes had been lost in the Cold Springs Fire, including the property on Sherwood Drive that Boulder County records confirm was owned by the Schmidtmanns.

The other two homes were at 171 Bonanza Drive and 37 N. Sky View Drive.

The couple had lived on Sherwood Drive for six or seven years, Miller said, after building their “dream house.”

“At this point they haven’t even begun to figure out what they’re going to need, but they lost everything,” she said. “They’re not the type of people who ever think about asking for help, so I figured I would ask for them.

“They’re amazing people. If anybody deserves that help, it’s them.”

Jennifer Kruse used to work with Charlie Schmidtmann at Boulder County’s sheriff’s dispatch center, but hasn’t talked to him in years, and hasn’t met Bretlyn Schmidtmann — but knows that “they’re really involved in the community.”

“He’s very humble, very caring and always willing to bend over backward to help people out,” Kruse said. “If you’re in need of anything you can call him and he’ll be there if he’s able.”

She is sharing the link to the GoFundMe page in hopes of raising as much as she can for her friend.

“I just want to help them out.”

Jennifer Rios: 303-473-1361, riosj@broomfieldenterprise.com or twitter.com/Jennifer_Rios