It’s been one year since the Wolf Fire tore through Denare Beach, destroying more than 200 homes and leaving families displaced across the province.
One Denare Beach resident, Brooke Kindel, and her family were among the many who lost their home. Pregnant at the time, Kindel had to move five times within the span of a year to find a space place for her family.
“(I was) very anxious waiting to hear how everything was going to be with our house, and if our house was going to survive. Obviously, (we) didn’t realize the severity of what all was going to happen at that time,” explains Kindel.
Despite being back in the village now, healing doesn’t happen overnight. Kindel says anxiety still lingers through the community as a new wildfire season begins.
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“Everybody’s scarred, you know, we’re all prepared in the case of another evacuation,” shares Kindel.
Also lingering is the speed of the rebuild. Progress has been slow, and many families remain stuck in long negotiations with insurance companies. Kindel says her family is still waiting on approval to start building their new home, with hopes to be completed by next summer.
“Go through your insurance policy and make sure that you really understand all the wording in there. It’s very confusing and it can be really misleading.” warns Kindel.
Despite all the insurance hassles and higher costs to rebuild, Kindel says hope remains.
“There’s flurry of activity. Everybody is building and getting excited about their new property,” says Kindel.
To ensure the village is prepared this summer, Fire Smart plans are in place, which include removing debris, creating fire breaks, training wildfire crews, and raising money for the local fire department.
“In the event something like this happens again … we’ll be more prepared,” adds Kindel.
Even with all the tools in place, no one can prepare you for the emotional toll of losing it all. To help heal as a community, the village held a waterfront wildfire recovery and healing day. The all-day event featured a barbecue, prayers, a drum circle, and speeches from community leaders.
“Everything is just different than the way it was before, but we’re just trying to be resilient and still build our community,” says Kindel.
“It’s not going to be what it was, but hopefully we can rebuild it into something better.”
Watch the video above to see pictures and video from Denare Beach.
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