Denare Beach rebuilds, reflects on anniversary of devastating Sask. wildfire

Denare Beach residents ar assemblage on the shores of Amisk Lake to mark the one-year day of remembrance of the wolf down Fire, the massive wildfire that tore through the northern village and destroyed more than 200 homes.

"Some people are still in a place of deep sorrow and some people on the opposite end are feeling totally optimistic and looking forward to the future," Thomson said.

"We're all going through a grieving process, but we're not all in the same place in our grief."

On June 2, 2025, the out-of-control Wolf Fire reached Denare Beach and the adjacent Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation reserve, about 400 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon, after burning in the distance for several days.

Most residents had already fled for safety and some held a rally that day in Saskatoon, pleading for the province to do more to save their homes.

But it was too late. The wildfire destroyed more than 200 homes, leaving some people displaced to this day.

One year later, some are living in new homes, while site preparation or construction is underway for dozens more. Others are eager to get rebuilding but are stuck in fights with insurance companies.

"There's a flurry of activity everywhere," Denare Beach resident Brooke Kindel said. 

"Every time you look outside, there's cement trucks, delivery trucks. It's just really exciting to be in that place … The more people that have places to live just makes our community feel more normal again."

Kindel's family of five has moved five times since the fire.

They spent most of the winter in a one-bedroom cabin in Denare Beach and now live in a camper trailer parked in the large shop they built on the property where they'll rebuild their home.

She said the community is "stronger than it's ever been" because the tragedy brought people together.

"You go to the post office and it's not just running in and getting your mail anymore," she said. "Everyone just wants to share trauma stories or success stories, depending on where they're at."

Kindel said she and her husband Kyle initially planned to buy a ready-to-move (RTM) house as a replacement, but were denied coverage after 11 months of negotiations with their insurance company. Now they're planning to build their new home on their own.

"I think we'll look back on this years from now and it's going to be a crazy memory, but it doesn't feel like we're that much farther ahead than we were a year ago, which is surprising," Kindel said.

A year after devastating wildfire, Denare Beach continues to rebuild

After the massive effort to clean up the debris and prepare for rebuilding, the town turned to preparations for this summer's wildfire season. The work includes creating fire breaks and delivering wildfire-specific training for fire crews.

Dustin Trumbley and Joanne Churchill are taking no chances with their new home. The couple lost their previous home in the fire, but were among the first people to get a new home when their RTM arrived around Christmas last year.

They followed a Fire Smart plan to outfit it with sprinklers and other measures to make it harder to burn.

"It makes me sleep easier at night and a fire is going to have a heck of a time getting at me," Trumbley said.

"We ended up purchasing the lot behind us just so nobody planted a bunch of trees on it."

Trumbley was an outspoken critic of the province's wildfire response in the months after losing his home. He wants the Sask. Party government to publicly release its independent review of its wildfire operations during last summer.

Denare Beach resident Rhonda Werbicki also hopes to see the government's report.

"If it can prevent somebody else from going through this … I don't want to say it was worth it, but it had some value because I think there were a lot of lessons to be learned," she said.

Werbicki and her husband Joey lost their home in the fire and plan to live on their houseboat this summer while their new home is rebuilt. Werbicki has split her time between Denare Beach and a temporary residence in Gimley, Man., since the fire. She's looking forward to Tuesday's event.

"It'll be nice to be back together again to remember what we had, but also what's coming, and that regardless of what is burned the important things are still here," Werbicki said. 

Some residents have talked about staying behind to protect their homes if there's another evacuation because they don't trust the government after last year, Thomson said.

"We're worried because if there's a situation that comes our way, we don't want residents putting themselves at risk."

The area is again dry this year and currently under a fire ban. People will be watching the sky closely for signs of smoke this summer, but they won't let the threat of another wildfire hinder plans to make new memories.

"If you drove through town right now and then drove through town in five months, it's going to be vastly different," Kindel said.

"That's going to make a lot of people really happy. And there'll be some more places for us to go trick or treating this year."

Reporter

Jeremy Warren is a reporter in Saskatoon. You can reach him at jeremy.warren@cbc.ca.

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