Smoke from the massive wildfire in Texas is expected to reach Minnesota as early as Thursday.

The deadly fire has burned more than half a million acres already, making it the largest wildfire in Texas history.

KSTP Meteorologist Jonathan Yuhas says Minnesota may see a couple of rounds of smoke from the wildfire spanning the next few days. However, he says it won’t be like the smoke that impacted the state last summer and shouldn’t cause many problems.

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) says our state will have an increased wildfire risk this year, too, as the season is starting about six weeks earlier than normal.

A fire danger map from the DNR shows ‘high’ and ‘very high’ risk in south Minnesota and the metro area — uncommon for this early in the year.

In just the past couple of weeks, the DNR says it has responded to 45 wildfires in Minnesota already, marking the state’s earliest start to the wildfire season in more than 10 years. The main reasons for the early start are the unusually warm temperatures and the lack of snow.

The agency notes that 90% of wildfires are human-caused and urged Minnesotans to be cautious to help prevent fires. Preventative measures can be as simple as following proper campfire safety, checking for lingering heat at burn sites and exercising caution when using equipment that can spark. Click here for more safety tips.