Brittany Holmgren has lived in her hometown her entire life.
Denare Beach is where she’s enjoyed the outdoors with friends, got her first job and started a family — but it’s also where she lost nearly everything.
In June, a wildfire tore through the northeast Saskatchewan village, located near the Manitoba boundary.
The 33-year-old mother’s home, along with her workplace, burned down.
“My house and my job are gone,” Holmgren said in an interview. “Everything was incinerated. There were people digging through their houses finding absolutely nothing. The windows on my car were melted down the side of my car.”
Holmgren is among many in the tight-knit village of 700 picking up the pieces after the fire destroyed half the community.
She and her two daughters, ages four and seven, moved in with Holmgren’s mother in nearby Flin Flon, Man. Her two dogs are staying in her camper back in Denare Beach because it’s not suitable for the pets to stay at her mom’s.
“My dogs don’t get along with other dogs. It’s just been hectic,” Holmgren said. “I’m 33 years old and I don’t want to live with my mom.”
The home of her daughters’ father was also scorched, she added.
“The four-year-old is taking it a little harder than my seven-year-old, but she’s just been so strong.”
Denare Beach is situated in the Canadian Shield region, surrounded by the boreal forest and a lake popular for fishing and boating. Tourists flock to the village each summer, staying in cabins or resorts, doubling the population.
But for those who live in Denare Beach year-round, finding a new home has been onerous.
Holmgren said she’s seen rentals go for $1,000 per month plus utilities, which is high for the market. She had paid $800 per month for a four-bedroom house with a double garage.
“Everyone is skyrocketing their prices,” she said.
Jennifer Hysert also lost her home and business in the fire. She said her family is living in a camper that’s inside a warehouse in Flin Flon until they can rebuild.
Hysert said while residents have pushed through to get their community cleaned up quickly, some are “jacking up” rent prices or charging more for other essentials.
“When 500 people go homeless, it’s not easy to find accommodations for everybody,” she said.
Village councillor Karen Thomson said she’s aware that prices for everything are going up.
“It’s unfortunate,” Thomson said. “People may look at is an opportunity that insurance is paying for it. It’s not something I agree with but that’s what happens.”
Meanwhile, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency has begun placing temporary trailers in Denare Beach and nearby Creighton to house residents. Some were expected to move in at the start of this month.
The agency says rents start at $680 per month for individual units. For multi-family units, it’s $1,360 to $1,700 per month.
“The temporary housing units are expected to support the needs of the displaced individuals and families as they rebuild,” it says in a statement.
Holmgren said the temporary trailers don’t appeal to her. The trailers can be split into two separate units, or a family can live in the entire trailer for a higher price.
There will also only be two trailers in Denare Beach, with most to be placed in nearby Creighton. “It’s just really hard to figure out where you want to be and what you want to do, especially with such limited options,” Holmgren said.
Thomson said the trailers in her village have been rented out and she’s heard residents are pleased with them.
“We want people to be comfortable,” she said.
Thomson said the village will need financial support due to an expected decrease in tax and utility revenues. She and other councillors met Premier Scott Moe late last month to discuss ideas, but the meeting came as a surprise and left local officials feeling “ill-prepared for meaningful conversation,” she said.
Moe, whose government has been criticized by residents for a lack of preparation to fight the blaze, did not advertise he was heading to the community.
Almost half of the province’s water bomber fleet was grounded during the worst of a wildfire season that saw 10,000 forced to flee. The province has said it deployed crews to Denare Beach as quickly as it could.
Hysert wants answers. “I’m actively working to hold them accountable for their negligence and for retribution,” she said.
Thomson said while it was “a really dark summer,” she remains optimistic.
“I believe that we’re going to rebuild and we’re going to have families back,” she said. “Our firefighters worked tirelessly to hold that fire back and it just overcame them.”
