A photo shared by the Northern Village of Denare Beach pictures some of their volunteer firefighters. Other permanent residents will be allowed to go home starting this Sunday, June 22. (Denare Beach/Facebook)

By Susan McNeil

2025 Wildfire

Denare Beach, Creighton to allow some residents to go home Sunday

Jun 20, 2025 | 10:05 AM

Some residents of Denare Beach will be allowed home on Sunday starting at 8 am but can only travel through Saskatchewan as the highway from Flin Flon remains closed.

The Village announced the repatriation plans on Friday and also warned residents that the Wolf Fire remains volatile and out of control, which could mean evacuations in the future.

On Wednesday, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) confirmed the loss of 218 homes in Denare Beach. The nearby community of Amisk Lake lost 24 homes but managed to save 11.

People are being asked to register their return at the Denareplex when they get back into town.

Only permanent residents are allowed back and people will need to show ID or proof of residency to get past the roadblocks that remain in place.

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Officials said the roadblock on Highway 167 remains in place to make sure only residents and people who have homes along that stretch of road are allowed through.

Because Highway 10 is still closed, there will be no access to Flin Flon at all.

People who have lost their homes will need to find accommodation before they go back, and no campers are allowed at the disaster sites right now. The Village said that homes that are considered a complete loss have been declared a disaster, and that does include the places that remain intact.

The village is asking people with seasonal cabins who were not affected by the fires to consider renting their cabins to the long-term residents for a period of time. Anyone who is willing to do so can email denarebeach@sasktel.net with their name and contact information, physical address of their cabin and confirmation of whether it is winterized or not.

Everyone that goes back needs to bring:

• one week supply of groceries and essential items
• one week supply of medication
• one week supply of pet food/care items
• cleaning supplies
• drinking water.

The village is recommending that anyone with a health condition remain evacuated because of the limited availability of health care.

The Wolf Fire has reached 130,000 hectares but growth has slowed thanks to cooler temperatures and some rain across the northern part of the province.

Nearby in Creighton, residents of that community can also go home on Sunday and will need to travel by Highway 106 (Hanson Lake Road).

They also may need to show proof of residency as non-residents are not being allowed in.

People are also being told that medical services, hotels and other essential services are in short supply.

Anyone who needs medical help daily or weekly is being advised to not return as the hospital is not fully functional.

People with respiratory illnesses should also wait before going back.

Like Denare Beach, Creighton residents should bring one week’s supply of food and personal items as they will not be able to shop in Flin Flon until that evacuation order is also lifted.

Road construction near the Foran Mining site may slow travel and the fire ban is still in effect. That includes use of off-road vehicles, ATVs and dirt bikes.

People are asked to leave home only for work or necessities as fire crews are still looking for hot spots and need to be driving around.

The school grounds are closed and firefighters are using the school yard for helicopter landing and takeoff zones.

Flin Flon city officials announced yesterday that their mandatory evacuation order will likely be lifted on June 25 at 9 am but it will depend on the weather and fire behaviour.

—

susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On BlueSky: @susanmcneil.bsky.social