‘Confusion, chaos, incompetence’: Denare Beach firefighter calls for public inquiry

Harley Vliegenthart, one of the volunteer firefighters at Denare Beach, joined the Saskatchewan NDP on Wednesday to call for a public inquiry. (Katy Syrota/CTV News)

Pressure continues to mount on the Saskatchewan government to launch a public inquiry into the Denare Beach fire, with calls for the public safety minister to resign if he fails to do so.

On Wednesday, Harley Vliegenthart, one of 11 Denare Beach volunteer firefighters who stayed back to fight the Wolf fire, joined the Saskatchewan NDP at the legislature to demand answers and accountability.

Speaking to reporters following legislative assembly, Vliegenthart explained that the situation on the ground was much worse than what the government painted it to be.

Vliegenthart said he was there on June 2 when the flames came through Denare Beach, noting that there were minimal resources to save the community.

“I’ve seen videos of people jumping into pickup trucks and running for their lives, fighting that fire. Someone was asleep at the wheel, and it never got through to who it needed to get through that this was a fire they never seen before,” he added.

“Resources weren’t getting sent up and it was a failure through and through; a maelstrom of confusion, chaos, incompetence.”

Vliegenthart said he wants to see a public inquiry to restore confidence in the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA), provide closure to those forced to leave their homes, and provide reassurance that the response to something like this will be better next time.

During question period, NDP MLA Jordan McPhail called on Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod to answer why more wasn’t done to help the firefighters at Denare Beach.

McLeod took the opportunity to thank Vliegenthart and the hundreds of men and women who fought the wildfires across northern Saskatchewan.

“We had multiple provinces providing resources and forest firefighters. We had other countries providing forest firefighters. Those brave men women fought an unprecedented fire season, and we owe them a debt of gratitude, and we thank them for their hard work and their brave service,” he said.

McPhail said he feels the minister refuses to face the fact that those resources were not on the front lines in Denare Beach when Vliegenthart and others needed them.

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“The fact is that Harley felt abandoned by the Sask. Party government. He has lost faith in the people on that side of the house to do their jobs. He wants answers. Frankly, he deserves those answers, as do thousands of my other constituents of mine who lost so much this summer,” he said.

“If the public safety minister won’t call it an independent public inquiry, then he should lose his job.”

McLeod maintained that Denare Beach was defended by far more than what McPhail claimed.

“On May 19, the Wolf fire was reported 32 kilometres west of Denare Beach. Immediately, the SPSA, within a day, responded with two air tankers, helicopters and ground crews. That forest fire grew between May 21 and May 23 127 times its original size,” he said.

“I’ll tell you what I won’t do and what I won’t do is exploit a tragedy for political gain,” he continued. “I will provide the facts to the individuals who suffered incredible loss this summer.”

McLeod said the SPSA has commissioned a report to lead an independent review of the 2025 wildfire season.

“These results will be made public. This independent review will be led by experts, and it will obtain information from the forest firefighters who are on the ground, from the communities that were impacted, and from experts in the area, to make sure that best practice is followed, and anything that can be done better in the future will be done,” he said.

“We will adopt those recommendations to make sure that we are ensuring best practice moving forward.”

While he awaits a public inquiry into one of the largest wildfires in Saskatchewan, Vliegenthart said those from Denare Beach are still struggling with housing and mental health issues.

“People have been struggling, fighting with insurance and anything else. We got temporary housing units that cost way too much for a lot of people living. I mean, nobody’s abandoning our town because we’re not weak. We’re strong people. But it’s, it’s tough. It’s tough for everybody,” he said.