Sask. community that lost 300 homes to wildfire receives $1.8 million for cleanup

WATCH: The community of Denare Beach lost 300 of its 400 homes to wildfire and the province is committing $1.8 million towards the community recovery.

As many of Saskatchewan’s early season wildfires now approach full containment – funds are being distributed to communities devastated by the blazes.

Denare Beach, which lost 300 of its 413 homes to the Wolf Fire, will now be receiving $1.8 million for cleanup and “debris management” efforts.

“The SPSA Recovery Task Team continues to work directly with affected communities to begin the process of clearing debris and to support the safe rebuilding of those communities,” Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod said in his remarks Wednesday.

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According to Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) vice president Steve Roberts, the Pisew and Wolf Fires are 90 per cent contained, while the Shoe Fire is 75 per cent contained.

Other major blazes, such as the Muskeg and Buhl Fires are still uncontained. The Buhl Fire, which has crossed over into Prince Albert National Park, is being managed by both Parks Canada and provincial authorities.

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“We are bringing resources in, as mentioned, including from across Canada, across the continental U.S., and from our partners abroad. That is in addition to the 154 type-three firefighters that have been employed to assist us locally,” Roberts explained.

As of Wednesday afternoon, there are 49 active wildfires throughout the province – with only seven listed as contained.

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There are currently eight active evacuations across the north.

The number of residents affected by each order differ greatly, with the evacuation of Beauval affecting approximately 700 people – while Lac La Plonge’s evacuation affected just five.

The current evacuations have led to around 1,100 residents being forced from their homes. Some evacuees in the province hail from Manitoba.

According to SPSA President Marlo Pritchard, the majority of the evacuees from Beauval, which was spared from the worst effects of the Muskeg Fire late last week – are currently being supported in hotels – with financial and food supports being rolled out as efficiently as possible.

• ‘Gone around’: Beauval, Sask. may be spared from worst of Muskeg wildfire, SPSA says

“All of those individuals have been contacted to ensure that they are safe, staying with family and friends, and those financial, food security checks are being processed based on a priority system and basically triaged based on need,” he explained.

“The $500 [cheques] is really designed for the return of the evacuees to the community to help offset those, those unanticipated costs from being away from home over a number of days or weeks … we will continue to work at that as fast as we can.”

A fire ban remains in effect for the area north of Saskatchewan’s provincial forest boundary up to the Churchill River.