SaskatchewanThe evacuation notice for Denare Beach, Sask., was officially lifted Wednesday morning and the roadblock was removed. Even though non-residents are allowed to return, the village is discouraging it. Local woman found her home of 26 years reduced to rubbleRhonda Werbicki returned to the Northern Village of Denare Beach earlier this week. She and her husband found their home and much of their community destroyed by wildfire. (Jeremy Warren/CBC)Rhonda Werbicki has lived in the Northern Village of Denare Beach, Sask., for 26 years. Her husband proposed to her in their house and they raised their babies there.Everything the couple had was in that house, which they renovated to suit their family perfectly for more than two decades. Now that house full of memories is gone — ravaged by wildfire.”It was pretty devastating to lose,” Werbicki said.The evacuation notice for Denare Beach was officially lifted Wednesday morning and the roadblock was removed. Both seasonal residents and visitors can return to the community, which suffered significant damage when the Wolf fire roared into the northern community on June 2. Non-residents are allowed to return, but the village is discouraging it.More than 200 homes in the village were completely destroyed by wildfire.As of Wednesday, the evacuation notice for the Northern Village of Denare Beach is lifted. Returning residents are being met with the devastating aftermath of the Wolf fire. (Jeremy Warren/CBC)Some residents were allowed to return in the last few days. Werbicki and her husband returned to Denare Beach on Monday, after a long and tough journey.”Just coming down the road was so hard,” Werbicki said. “The closer you got to Denare Beach, the more devastation you’ve seen. And then just coming to where the Alpine Convenience store used to be … I just broke.”WATCH | Denare Beach resident shows what’s left of her home of 26 years: ‘I just broke’: Denare Beach, Sask., resident shows what’s left of her home after wildfireRhonda Werbicki says it was devastating returning to her community of Denare Beach, Sask., after a wildfire destroyed much of it. She shows us the remnants of the home where she built a life with her husband and children. The family plans to rebuild.She said seeing her entire community in “shambles” and seeing her home turned to “ash” is heartbreaking.A notice released by the village on Tuesday asked visitors to not trespass on private property, and that any “unnecessary traffic” refrain from entering the community at this time.Rhonda Werbicki has lived in the same house in the Northern Village of Denare Beach for 26 years. Now, the place where she raised her children has been reduced to ash. (Jeremy Warren/CBC)Werbicki said she and most community members understand that many people in Saskatchewan are curious about what the wildfire did to the Denare Beach area, but asked that people who don’t live in the village at any point in the year, or don’t have family there, to give the residents a few weeks to process what happened and deal with their new reality.”I would just hope that they give us enough respect to let us come home, let us mourn,” Werbicki said.”We just need some time right now. So I think that’s just what all of us are asking for.”The Denare Beach area has been significantly damaged by a wildfire that ripped through the village in early June. (Jeremy Warren/CBC)In the Tuesday notice, posted to Facebook, residents are asked to visit the village office between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CST Monday to Friday to register and confirm they have returned to the village. Information booklets will be handed out to those that check in.Meanwhile, a precautionary boil water advisory is still in affect and Sasktel phone lines are still down within the village.A look at the devastation in the Village of Denare Beach, where 218 permanent residences were destroyed when the Wolf fire roared into the northern village on June 2. (Jeremy Warren/CBC)The village’s notice said that before any cleanup can take place on lots that have had structures destroyed, the Ministry of Environment must complete its environmental assessment of the affected area.The local landfill is not currently approved by the province to accept any materials from the burned out areas, but once the environmental assessment is complete, the village will announce a plan for residents to handle those materials.ABOUT THE AUTHORLaura is a journalist for CBC Saskatchewan. She is also the community reporter for CBC’s virtual road trip series Land of Living Stories and host of the arts and culture radio column Queen City Scene Setter, which airs on CBC’s The Morning Edition. Laura previously worked for CBC Vancouver. Some of her former work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, NYLON Magazine, VICE Canada and The Tyee. Laura specializes in human interest, arts and health care coverage. She holds a master of journalism degree from the University of British Columbia. Send Laura news tips at laura.sciarpelletti@cbc.ca With files from Jeremy Warren
‘Let us mourn’: Denare Beach residents ask public not to visit fire-ravaged village
