Creighton, Denare Beach wildfire evacuees can go home Sunday

Chris Edwards · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 20, 2025 12:40 PM EDT | Last Updated: 25 minutes ago

The northeastern Saskatchewan communities of Denare Beach and Creighton volition person their evacuation orders lifted connected Sunday, allowing immoderate residents to instrumentality home.

Municipal officials successful the 2 communities announced the plans connected Friday morning. Denare Beach residents volition beryllium allowed to spell location astatine 8 a.m. section clip connected Sunday, portion Creighton residents volition beryllium allowed to instrumentality aft 6 a.m. that day.

In Denare Beach, lone imperishable residents whose homes were not destroyed successful the fires volition beryllium allowed to instrumentality arsenic of Sunday. For properties that are present catastrophe sites, campers volition not beryllium allowed, the village's announcement said.

An announcement covering seasonal residents successful Denare Beach volition travel wrong the adjacent fewer days, it said. 

WATCH | Creighton, Denare Beach occurrence evacuees to instrumentality home: 

People who person mislaid homes but inactive privation to instrumentality volition beryllium allowed to bash truthful if they tin beryllium they've been provided different spot to stay.

Kari Lentowicz is 1 of those people. She mislaid her location successful the fires, but said she'll beryllium returning to Denare Beach connected Monday to measure her spot and staying successful a friend's cabin.

"My location was obliterated," she said. "As my hubby enactment it, it looks similar the bottommost of a occurrence pit after, aft a bully campfire."

Despite the loss, Lentowicz said the assemblage is resilient and volition find ways to rebuild. 

"It's going to beryllium different, seeing the homes of friends that are conscionable not there, and the radical who were already struggling and trying to find a mode to assistance them arsenic well. Because there's a batch of radical successful our communities that struggle. But there's a crushed we're each there. Because it is home to us, and the radical marque it that way."

It besides warned that the wildfire successful the country is "still listed arsenic volatile and remains retired of control, and residents "may beryllium taxable to further evacuations if required and beryllium enactment connected a further evacuation notice."

To entree Denare Beach, residents volition request to question via Highway 167, wherever determination volition proceed to beryllium roadblocks to check identification.

As the evacuation bid for adjacent Flin Flon, Man., is expected to stay successful spot until adjacent Wednesday, Manitoba Highway 10 volition not beryllium accessible, the announcement said.

To walk the roadblocks, residents volition request to amusement impervious of residency on with an ID.

All residents are besides being asked to bring a one-week proviso of groceries and indispensable items, including medications, favored nutrient and attraction items, cleaning supplies and drinking water, arsenic services are expected to beryllium limited.

A boil-water advisory remains successful spot arsenic a precaution, and a occurrence prohibition remains successful place. Many telephone lines are besides down, Friday's announcement said.

People are asked to sojourn the Denareplex reception centre to registry their return. 

Similar requirements volition beryllium successful spot for Creighton residents, who volition lone beryllium permitted to instrumentality to the assemblage done the Saskatchewan broadside connected Highway 106. Access to and from Flin Flon volition not beryllium disposable until its evacuation bid is lifted. 

Photo recognition and impervious of residency whitethorn beryllium required successful bid to walk roadworthy blocks connected Highway 106, the town's announcement said.

Services initially disposable volition beryllium limited, including "a lack of aesculapian services, indispensable services and motel accommodations," and nary existent entree to Flin Flon, the town's connection said.

It besides asked that everyone returning to that community bring a week's worthy of groceries and medications. People suffering from respiratory illnesses should besides see waiting until aerial prime improves earlier returning, the town's connection said.

"As agelong arsenic radical are prepared, and bring immoderate nutrient with them," Creighton Mayor Bruce Fidler said. "[Also] immoderate medications, due to the fact that determination volition beryllium nary entree into Flin Flon until they assistance their evacuation order."

Anyone who needs regular aesculapian assistance should not instrumentality until the infirmary is afloat functional, arsenic aesculapian services and ambulance services are "very limited," the municipality said.

The occurrence prohibition successful Creighton is besides inactive successful effect. Fire crews volition inactive beryllium successful the assemblage to show blistery spots, and volition beryllium closing the Creighton School crushed to the public, arsenic crews are utilizing that abstraction for helicopters.

According to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, there were 20 progressive wildfires successful the state arsenic of Friday morning. Five were listed arsenic contained and four are not contained. Of the remaining 11, eight were undergoing assessment, 2 were being managed to support cardinal buildings and infrastructure, and 1 was nether reclamation.

Up-to-date info connected progressive fires, fume and related topics is disposable astatine these sources:

• Interactive Sask. progressive occurrence map.
• Fire information map.
• Fire bans.
• Environment and Climate Change Canada upwind alerts.
• Sask. Highway Hotline.
• Smoke forecast.
• Air quality.
• Tracking wildfires crossed Canada.