In 2025 there were more than 500. forest fires 2.9 million hectares burned in Saskatchewan. At the height of the fires, more than 10,000 people were evacuated and 400 structures were destroyed in the province, half of which are on Denare Beach.
Saskatchewan Volunteer Firefighters Association president Aaron Buckingham says conditions last year allowed the fire to spread quickly and resulted in some of the most intense fires fire crews have ever seen.
“Most of the people that were there said it was the densest, most volatile fire they'd ever been in. And I agree with that. There were places where, you know, a small area where you poured 13,000 gallons of water into it and it didn't cool it,” Buckingham said.
Communities were hit hard, as were businesses such as outfitters who saw much of their land burned, setting up unknown events in 2026.
“We pretty much canceled all of our fishing groups, canceled our bear hunts in the fall. We ended up with about 95 percent, maybe even a little more, of our entire area burned,” said Beardize Bay Wildlife Camp President Stu Rasmussen.
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Kari Lentovich of Denare Beach witnessed more than 270 properties burn down. She began advocacy work for her community, saying it helped her get through difficult times. Work to restore Denare Beach with water supply and sewerage systems is still ongoing.
Premier Scott Moe faced harsh criticism from both Denare Beach residents and the opposition NDP for not planning to visit the community sooner. In his year-end op-ed for Global News, Moe apologized.
“We made those decisions as we went along, and we had a lot of other things going on in the world, in the international space, and there's no shortage of things to do. And we made those decisions… to support the community of Denare Beach, East Trout Lake and others,” Moe said.
“I should have gone there earlier to listen to the people and speak loudly to them, to look at them face to face, eye to eye, to tell them that this government will be there to support them, to support them through this tragedy, to support them in the months and years ahead in rebuilding their community. And that was a mistake that I made personally because I should have been there sooner. It is one that I apologize for to the council and the residents. And it is one that I should not make again.”
In the future, Lentovich says she would like to see the government work with communities who know the land and have real input on how to help stop the fires.
“They need to listen to us, strategize with us, meet with us before bushfire season starts. And when the shit hits the fan and you have someone with 36 years of experience telling you they know what they can do with the resources you can give them, listen to them.”
Watch the video above to learn more about how people will be affected by wildfires in 2025.
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