Brooke Kindel is a wildfire evacuee staying in Saskatoon after losing her home to a wildfire in Denare Beach. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

By Mia Holowaychuk, CKOM News Staff

‘Survival mode’: Denare Beach evacuee reflects on losing home days before her due date

Jun 23, 2025 | 8:50 AM

Brooke Kindel is due to have a baby in seven days, and is trying to settle in Saskatoon after her home in Denare Beach was burned to the ground by a wildfire.

The Wolf Fire pushed the community near Creighton out of their homes earlier this month and has destroyed over 400 structures.

Kindle said when she left her home she only had two hours to pack some maternity clothes and essentials for her children, but family mementos left behind are what she will miss most.

“My family had saved all of my Barbies from when I was a kid. I had a huge Barbie collection, all my Laura Ingalls books and everything, so that one sucks,” she said.

After she arrived in Saskatoon, her father who helped fight the wildfires, told her Denare Beach was going to burn.

Racking up the miles

Fans travel from near and far to watch World Cup in Prince Albert

15h ago

Innovation at Work

Prairie North Co-op Retrofit Serves Rural Members

17h ago

Day two recap

Ezekiel homers twice to help Canada comeback over Venezuela

Jul 10, 2025

“We just couldn’t believe it,” Kindle said.

“You have to just be in survival mode, especially when you have little kids,” she said. “You don’t really have time to mourn anything or cry.”

Kindel is now focused on securing a rental home for her family for the next year, all while navigating insurance claims and preparing for a new baby.

“You really realize how little you actually need for a new baby to come when you don’t have anything anymore,” she said. “It’s a little learning lesson in that way.”

Kindel said she has had some financial help from insurance, but hasn’t yet received any financial support from the province.

Earlier this month, the provincial government announced it would double its household financial assistance for wildfire evacuees, as well as providing an extra $500 in payments to displaced individuals over 18.

According to a statement from the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, over $160,000 will be delivered directly to residents of Denare Beach in the coming days from the province’s $500 payments.

“I’m lucky, because I do have a roof over my head … so I’m a lot more fortunate than others,” Kindel said. “There’s a lot of people that are still living in their cars.”

Kindel said many homes belonging to families were destroyed in Denare Beach, adding that it will take a long time to rebuild from the fires that “devastated” the community.

“It’s one thing to be evacuated … but it’s another thing to have literally nothing to go home to and no real plan for how we’re even going to get back,” she said.

Kindel reminds people to not forget about those facing the devastating effects of wildfires.

“Someday it might be you on the other side of the microphone,” she said during her interview with CKOM News.

“You can do everything you can to protect your property like we did,” she said, noting it “humbling” to realize these situations can affect entire communities.