The English Wildfire in Fort-a-la-Corne has grown in size by 10 per cent since Tuesday.
The uncontained fire now sits at 40,000 hectares.
Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency acting vice president of operations Steve Roberts said in a press conference Wednesday morning more ground crews have been requested and were expected to arrive later in the day.
“We have lots of resources,” he said.
Currently, eight helicopters are the only air support being used.
Roberts said waterbombers and air tankers are on standby at the Prince Albert airport if ground crews request their assistance.
Twelve bulldozers and nine crew trucks and engines are also being used.
The nearby rural municipalities of Garden River and Torch River and James Smith Cree Nation are all monitoring the fire closely.
No permanent residents of these communities have been evacuated as of yet, according to the SPSA.
Roberts said James Smith had looked at evacuating elders due to smoke concerns but decided instead to keep the senior members within the community housed in a building with air filtration system.
He said in some cases residents will be evacuated.
“Typically, there would need to be a prolonged smoke exposure or there would have to be a direct fire threat to the community itself.”
Roberts said should evacuations become necessary, the province has had conversations with each of the communities on logistics and, in particular, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
(PHOTO: English Fire. Photo courtesy Becky Constant.)