Former supervisor says public safety agency ignored ideas to help save Denare Beach

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/12/2025 (281 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA – A former fire base supervisor with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says he quit his job out of frustration as a wildfire tore through a northern village earlier this summer.

Trevor Sewap says he was based out of Pelican Narrows and offered to send helicopters to help save Denare Beach, but officials with the agency declined his proposal.

He also said they ignored other ideas to fight the fire that eventually destroyed about half the community, which is home to 700 people.

“No one would listen,” Sewap told reporters Tuesday. “I am an older guy. The guys that run the office are young guys and because they’re sitting in office in a higher seat than me, they just don’t want to listen.” 

Sewap was a guest at the legislature of the Opposition NDP, which has pressed Premier Scott Moe’s government on its response to the blaze that residents say the province was ill-prepared to fight.

His home is in Denare Beach and he lost everything in the fire, Sewap said. 

“It’s just like one big bomb that took our homes,” he said. “It’s just heartbreaking and sad for what the government did. They let us down.” 

Denare Beach resident Kari Lentowicz said she also pleaded officials to do more. She is a consultant and has helped develop emergency management plans for various communities and businesses, she said. 

“Nobody listened,” said Lentowicz, who was also a legislature guest of the NDP. 

“It is critical that people look to the local knowledge, the use of experience that’s there. Listen to the people that have the knowledge, not the people who are just dipping their toes in.”

In the assembly, New Democrats questioned Public Safety Minister Tim McLeod about residents’ concerns, and they repeated their calls for a public inquiry. 

McLeod said the province has spoken with community leaders and residents about the issue. It has also hired a third party to conduct a review into what happened. 

“The member opposite continues to call for a judicial-led inquiry. A judge is not an expert in forest fire management,” McLeod told the assembly. 

The company contracted for the review was used to look into past wildfire responses in Alberta, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, he added. 

“All of the people who were impacted by this year’s forest fires will have an opportunity to contribute to that review,” McLeod said. 

Saskatchewan’s auditor has said she’s investigating the province’s wildfire preparedness. Tara Clemett is also looking into the purchase of new water bombers amid allegations the government vastly overpaid for them.

The ombudsman is also investigating how the province responded to evacuees after reporting many were not receiving immediate supports. During their peak, summer wildfires displaced more than 10,000 residents. 

McLeod has said the fire near Denare Beach was extremely aggressive and the agency fought it with everything it could.

Later Tuesday, Marlo Pritchard, with the public safety agency, told reporters it moved resources to where they were needed. 

He declined to comment on Sewap’s resignation, saying human resource issues are confidential. 

“I won’t comment on the personal situation, but I’d be more than happy to speak to him in person,” Pritchard said. 

Sewap, a wildland firefighter for decades before he became a supervisor, said the agency did not do mitigation work in areas around Denare Beach before the fire. Some of that work could have included making fire breaks, he added.

Pritchard said Denare Beach was on the list for work to be completed, but he doesn’t know if it happened.

“We were engaged with the Denare Beach, but I would have to get more information,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2025.