'Beyond devastating': Residents of Denare Beach, Sask., start returning home

Hannah Spray · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 23, 2025 5:18 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

For Alannah Skot, returning to Denare Beach, Sask., has been some achy and therapeutic.

Her location was among the 218 imperishable residences destroyed by wildfire 3 weeks ago, erstwhile the Wolf occurrence roared into the bluish colony connected June 2.

But the lodge she owns, the Overland Resort, survived, truthful she was among the radical allowed to instrumentality to the assemblage connected the play erstwhile the section evacuation bid partially lifted.

"It's beyond devastating," she said connected Monday, erstwhile asked what it's similar to beryllium back.

"But I personally consciousness truthful overmuch amended being present with each my friends, and conscionable having the support.… To beryllium backmost wherever radical are feeling the aforesaid emotions arsenic you is precise therapeutic."

Skot travelled to Denare Beach connected Saturday to commencement preparing her lodge for guests, who truthful acold volition see immoderate displaced residents arsenic good arsenic SaskTel crews successful municipality to reconstruct telephone and net services.

She said she is "beyond grateful" to the firefighters who defended the community, and thankful her lodge is inactive standing, though she doesn't cognize however — there's blackened signs of the pain each astir it and the atom works crossed the thoroughfare was destroyed.

"The writer is longer, my barbecue is simply a excavation of metal, similar astir astir town," she said. "My solid bottles that were acceptable for recycling are melted."

WATCH | Her Denare Beach location was destroyed by fire, but her water edifice was someway spared: 

On Sunday, the colony lifted the evacuation bid for imperishable residents whose homes weren't destroyed by fire. Then connected Monday, the colony announced the evacuation bid volition beryllium afloat lifted connected Wednesday, meaning seasonal residents and non-residents volition besides beryllium allowed to question there.

"Due to the galore crews moving successful the colony and for those who person experienced losses, we inquire that immoderate unnecessary postulation refrain from entering the colony astatine this time," the colony posted connected Facebook.

Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation has besides been moving connected co-ordinating the effect and betterment for its Denare Beach reserve, conscionable southbound of the Northern Village of Denare Beach. Just 10 homes retired of astir 35 connected the reserve were saved.

The First Nation said successful an update connected its website that it is "working to restrict entree to Denare Beach to assemblage members only. Security measures are being implemented to forestall non-residents from entering oregon taking photos successful the area."

Some residents successful the country volition person to hold a spot longer until they tin return, including anyone who needs aesculapian services. Denare Beach and adjacent Creighton beryllium connected the metropolis of Flin Flon, conscionable crossed the borderline successful Manitoba, for galore services.

Officials successful Manitoba said they expect to assistance the evacuation bid for Flin Flon connected Wednesday, but health-care services volition beryllium constricted for a while.

Denare Beach nonmigratory Maureen McBratney has been staying successful Yorkton, to proceed her dialysis treatment. She said she can't spell location until she hears the dialysis portion is up and moving astatine the infirmary successful Flon Flon.

McBratney said it's been pugnacious listening to different household members getting excited astir returning.

"I get it, you know, things [in the hospital] person to beryllium cleaned and decently vetted to marque definite everything's harmless for radical similar maine to spell home," she said. "But, you know, it's inactive a small hard to take."

Progress made connected containing fires

There are inactive 19 progressive fires burning successful the province, Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency vice-president Steve Roberts said successful a media briefing connected Monday afternoon.

But favourable upwind has meant crews person been making advancement connected containing the 4 large fires inactive burning: the Shoe occurrence is 50 per contained, the Pisew occurrence 30 per cent contained, the Wolf occurrence 30 per cent contained and the Ditch occurrence 80 per cent contained.

He said determination were nary changes to the full "values" confirmed arsenic burned, which is 1,931 provincewide, including 299 houses and 60 cabins.

Members of the betterment task team, announced past week, were connected their mode to Creighton connected Monday, Roberts said. When asked what benignant of supports determination volition beryllium for radical whose homes burned, helium said immoderate volition beryllium relying connected security and immoderate are staying with household and friends. 

"For those that don't, that's 1 of the questions the betterment task squad volition beryllium looking at, is what different supports mightiness beryllium disposable for those individuals," helium said.