The cost of the province鈥檚 firefighting efforts have hit $154 million.

Fourteen new fires sparked on Wednesday, chief fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek told reporters on Thursday, for a total of 148 burning across B.C. currently. Since April 1, 794 wildfires have been burning across the province.

The newest major blaze started near Monte Lake, southeast of Kamloops, on Wednesday. Since then, rumours have swirled over whether a thrown cigarette may have caused it.

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鈥淚t does appear that the fire started fairly close to Hwy. 97鈥� but the investigation is ongoing,鈥� said Skrepnek. The fire currently sits at 150 hectares.

鈥淚 think the speed and aggressiveness with which this fire displayed yesterday speaks to just how hot and dry conditions are out there鈥� and how quickly these fires can grow.鈥�

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Skrepnek implored people to take precautions and fire-safe their homes.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of practical things that people can do that don鈥檛 take a lot of time,鈥� he said. 鈥淢oving woodpiles away from their houses, moving propane tanks away, spacing out trees, cleaning out gutters鈥� basically moving any potential combustibles away from the house.鈥�

Emergency Management BC deputy minister Robert Turner warned evacuees returning to Williams Lake to be careful. Part of the evacuation order for the area was downgraded to an evacuation alert earlier Thursday, and residents were allowed to go back home nearly two weeks after being forced out.

鈥淲e would encourage people to be looking at the maps to ensure that their specific area has changed from an order status to an alert status before they would be making a decision to return,鈥� said Turner. 鈥淔or those who do return, there will be a resilience centre set up in Williams Lake tomorrow.鈥�

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