Smoke to pour into the US as Canada wildfires force provinces largest evacuation in living memory | Weather [Video]

(CNN) — Massive wildfires burning out of control in western and central Canada are forcing thousands to flee as dire forecasts for the country’s fire season come to fruition. The intensifying blazes are also beginning to send hazardous smoke toward major cities in the United States.

The premier of Manitoba declared a state of emergency Wednesday and much of Canada, from the Northwest Territories and Alberta to Quebec, are at “extreme” risk of wildfires on Thursday—the highest level on Environment Canada’s fire risk scale.

There are just over 160 wildfires burning across Canada as of Thursday, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center, and about half are uncontrolled. The country raised its National Preparedness Level to level 4 of 5 on Tuesday, which is unusually high for this early in the fire season. Last year, Canada didn’t reach that level until July.

In Manitoba, around 17,000 people are under evacuation orders, including the city of Flin …