Latest news with #WolfFire
CBC
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
'There's a lot I wish I would have taken': Denare Beach residents in shock after wildfire
When Rebecca McCrimmon evacuated with her family from Denare Beach last week, it was out of concern that access to the northeast Saskatchewan community, not far from the Manitoba border, would be cut off by the Club fire burning to the north. She packed some clothes and mementoes, thinking she would be able to return home after the danger passed. But then on Monday, the Wolf fire suddenly moved in from the west. She watched via a video feed as the flames went down the street in front of her house. Then the feed went dark. McCrimmon thought about the things she hadn't packed. "There's a lot I wish I would have taken," she said in an interview on Wednesday, her voice trailing off. "Like my daughter's footprints from the hospital, her hospital hat and her first haircut, different things like that." McCrimmon, her husband and their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter are staying with family in Gimli, Man. McCrimmon said she's grateful for a family friend who is in the community and has been documenting the states of the properties to share with the residents, as it was "very hard" when they didn't know if their home had been lost. 'I feel so lost': Denare Beach resident sad and angry after losing home to wildfire 42 minutes ago Duration 0:46 The Wolf fire destroyed a large swath of Denare Beach, near the Manitoba border, on Monday. Gracie Dareichuk said she's had a "whirlwind of emotions" after seeing the destruction. Gracie Dareichuk is also dealing with the news that her home burned to the ground. Like McCrimmon, she wasn't too worried until the winds changed on Monday and the Wolf fire made its run toward the community. She watched the photos and videos posted from neighbours' cameras with growing alarm — and with an enormous feeling of helplessness. "We could just see the fire blazing up. It was tragic, like a terrible sight to see," Dareichuk said in an interview. "It felt almost like torture, like you were just sitting there, forced to watch your house burn." The 21-year-old nursing student has been staying with relatives in eastern Saskatchewan as well as in a camper. While she's grateful to have family support, Dareichuk doesn't want to burden them by staying for weeks on end. "I feel so lost," she said. "I keep saying, I just want to go back home, but I know I can't go back home because I don't have a home now." The Denare Beach reserve, located just south of the resort village, was also hit by the fire. Easter Dubinak, who lives on the reserve, says all but 10 homes there were lost. "My parents' home burned down … and all of my mother's possessions were in our home," Dubinak said. "We lost her 15 years ago to breast cancer and it feels like I've lost her all over again. I'm so devastated." Dubinak said the reserve being small makes it an especially tight-knit community. "We always came together to help one another," she said. "When a member passed we all mourned for that member like they were family, that's how close we were." Residents of Denare Beach are among the estimated 10,000 to 15,000 people people displaced from 34 communities in Saskatchewan due to the wildfires, according to Wednesday's briefing from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency. The estimated number of "values" lost — including homes, cabins, infrastructure and vehicles — is more than 400, said SPSA vice-president of operations Steve Roberts. There were 24 active fires in the province as of Wednesday afternoon, with only five of them classified as contained. La Ronge is one of the communities with displaced residents nervously waiting for news about any losses, after the Pisew fire moved in from the north. Two businesses, Robertson Trading and Rona, burned in the town on Tuesday evening and all but the most essential personnel have been told to leave. Denare Beach so far has been the "largest single area of impact" in terms of values lost, Roberts said. WATCH | Evacuees concerned as wildfire conditions in northern Sask. worsen: Evacuees concerned as wildfire conditions in northern Sask. worsen 10 hours ago Duration 2:01 Lack of rain is offering no help to northern Saskatchewan as crews struggle to contain more than 20 active wildfires. The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says more than 400 homes and other structures have been destroyed so far. Interactive Sask. active fire map. Fire danger map. Fire bans. Environment and Climate Change Canada weather alerts. Sask. Highway Hotline. Smoke forecast. Air quality. Tracking wildfires across Canada.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Southern half of Denare Beach burns to the ground as wildfire tears through northern community
Brooke Kindel thought she was leaving her home in Denare Beach Sask., as a precaution last week. She packed some clothes for her two children after a mandatory evacuation order went out, but never thought fire would reach her home. "It felt like out of the blue. We thought the fire was fine. We were in our driveway getting our boat ready to go out on the lake because we thought everything was fine." On Monday, Kindel and her neighbours connected through a Facebook page and watched door camera footage of fire engulfing home after home on her street. The footage confirmed what everyone already knew: their community was gone. WATCH | Pregnant Sask. woman 'in shock' after losing house to wildfire at Denare Beach: Kindel said her home was the final one standing. Her neighbours watched with her as the temperature climbed in her Tesla car. Kindel said the car, which was left behind, recorded the outside temperature and they were able track the fire's progress as the car got hotter and hotter. "We lost power for about 20 minutes before my car exploded," she said. "That pretty much confirmed that everything in our yard was gone." Kindel, who is 35 weeks pregnant, left her home last week with her mom and her two young children within two hours of the evacuation order. They drove through the night to Hudson Bay, leaving her husband and father behind to fight the fires. "All of our neighbours were outside, everyone was saying 'where are you going, where are you going?'" she said. "Everyone was carrying picture frames and stuff out of their houses and no one knew what to do." WATCH | Why Sask. says it's not calling in the military to help fight fires: Kindel's husband joined them at a family member's home in Saskatoon after she went into pre-term labour, something Kindel attributed to stress. Her father left Creighton, where he went during the evacuation, after it became clear the town was gone. "He was sitting there listening to the radio and when he heard that it took our street, he just decided to leave," Kindel said. "There was nothing more than he could do for our town." The final remaining firefighters and all essential staff were evacuated from Denare Beach on Monday after intense winds fuelled the Wolf Fire, threatening the town and anyone left in it. A Facebook post from the Northern Village of Denare Beach Tuesday morning confirmed that everything south of 9th Avenue to the reserve was destroyed by fire. Cell and internet service is offline, and phone lines are also down, according to a post on the village's Facebook page. The latest report from the village, which is home to about 699 people according to the latest Census in 2021, said the fire hall, administration building and Denareplex were still standing. "We understand not receiving further information is frustrating, but please understand we feel as shocked, helpless as you all right now and are trying to navigate the situation as best we can remotely," the Facebook post said. The same post went on to confirm that members of the village's fire department had escaped and were in Creighton about 19 kilometres away. As of Tuesday morning, there were 20 active wildfires in the province, nine of which were not contained, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency. About 8,000 people had been evacuated from northern Saskatchewan due to wildfires as of Monday. Saskatchewan communities now under evacuation order or pre-evacuation alert: Air Ronge. Brabant Lake. Candle Lake resort village (voluntary). Clam Crossing. Creighton. Denare Beach. East Trout Lake. Eagle Point. English Bay. Foran Mine - McIlveena Bay. Hall Lake. Jan Lake. La Ronge. Lac La Ronge Indian Reservation. Lamp Lake. Little Bear Lake. Lower Fishing Lake. Molanosa. Napatak. Narrow Hills Provincial Park. Nemeiben Subdivision. Pelican Narrows. Piprell Lake. Potato Lake. Rabbit Creek. Resort Subdivision of Ramsey Bay. Sikachu. Sturgeon Landing. Sucker River. Timber Bay. Wadin Bay. Weyakwin. Whiteswan/Whelan Bay.
CBC
7 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Last remaining firefighters, emergency staff evacuated as Denare Beach 'devastated' by wildfire
Social Sharing Firefighters and all essential staff were evacuated from the resort village of Denare Beach, Sask., as wildfire tore through and destroyed all the buildings on one of the main streets. The few remaining volunteer firefighters and essential workers were told late Monday afternoon to leave the village, located on the shores of Amisk Lake in northern Saskatchewan, after intense wind conditions fuelled the Wolf Fire threatening the town and anyone left in it. Poor internet connection? CBC Lite is our low-bandwidth website. On Tuesday morning, the village confirmed that Ninth Avenue South, a main street in Denare Beach, was "devastated by fire." Cell and internet service is offline and phone lines are also down, according to a post on the village's Facebook page. The latest report from the village, which is home to about 699 people according to the latest Census in 2021, said the fire hall, administration building and Denareplex were still standing. "We understand not receiving further information is frustrating, but please understand we feel as shocked, helpless as you all right now and are trying to navigate the situation as best we can remotely," the Facebook post said. The same post went on to confirm that members of the village's fire department had escaped and were in Creighton about 19 kilometres away. As of Tuesday morning, there were 20 active wildfires in the province, nine of which were not contained, according to the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency. About 8,000 people had been evacuated from northern Saskatchewan due to wildfires as of Monday. Saskatchewan communities now under evacuation order or pre-evacuation alert: Air Ronge. Brabant Lake. Candle Lake resort village (voluntary). Clam Crossing. Creighton. Denare Beach. East Trout Lake. Eagle Point. English Bay. Foran Mine - McIlveena Bay. Hall Lake. Jan Lake. La Ronge. Lac La Ronge Indian Reservation. Lamp Lake. Little Bear Lake. Lower Fishing Lake. Molanosa. Napatak. Narrow Hills Provincial Park. Nemeiben Subdivision. Pelican Narrows. Piprell Lake. Potato Lake. Rabbit Creek. Resort Subdivision of Ramsey Bay. Sikachu. Sturgeon Landing. Sucker River. Timber Bay. Wadin Bay. Weyakwin. Whiteswan/Whelan Bay. Up-to-date info on active fires, smoke and related topics is available at these sources: Interactive Sask. active fire map. Fire danger map. Fire bans. Environment and Climate Change Canada weather alerts. Sask. Highway Hotline. Smoke forecast. Air quality. Tracking wildfires across Canada.
