SCHUYLKILL HAVEN, Pa. — Dumpsters and gravel now fill the space where the main clinic at Red Creek Wildlife Center used to sit.
In early December, a fire destroyed the building near Schuylkill Haven.
Founder Peggy Hentz sees this empty slate as an opportunity for Red Creek to grow into something bigger and better than before.
"Even if we just replace the building we lost, it isn't adequate for Red Creek. We outgrew it a long time ago," she said.
Red Creek Wildlife Center still keeps its promise to never turn an animal away. Although Red Creek is technically closed, it's still nursing animals back to health in Hentz's former home.
"We don't even serve just Schuylkill County. We serve, depending on the time of year, half the state, a quarter of the state," said Greg Nason, the head wildlife rehabilitator.
Losing 41 animals in the fire caught the eye of people all over the county.
Red Creek received enough donations of money and supplies to do more than just rebuild the clinic.
"Replacing that building, yes, we're going to do that right away. But we're planning on a bigger building later this year," Hentz added.
"When we moved into the building before the fire, our numbers jumped to $5,000. I expect that when we have the new facilities, $5,000 is going to be nothing. We're going to max it out in no time," Nason explained.
Thanks to all the generous donations, Red Creek Wildlife Center plans to open its doors to new animals and start construction in the coming weeks.
See more pets and animal stories on WNEP’s YouTube playlist.