WATCH: Ted Chernecki reports on the latest from the Rock Creek fire
Premier Christy Clark says the Rock Creek fire, which has destroyed 30 homes and displaced hundreds of people throughout the region, may have been started by a carelessly discarded cigarette butt.
“If you are found to have been throwing a cigarette butt out of your car, perhaps one of the penalties available should be that we should be able to take away the use of your car for a period of time,” she said.
It’s believed the person who allegedly threw the butt might have been caught on surveillance camera – but the incident is still under investigation.
“It might have been caught on a government, road transport ministry camera,” said Clark. “I don’t know that that is true, but we are going to do everything we can to try and identify as we always do how the fire started.”
READ MORE: 29 homes destroyed in Rock Creek fire; now 3,750 hectares
Clark made the comments in Midway as she visited the community centre packed with evacuees on Sunday. She told reporters she wants to see harsher penalties for people who start forest fires.
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Dropping, releasing, or mishandling a burning substance carries a maximum penalty of $173. However, if the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
The blaze in Rock Creek began by a highway junction. Clark said if evidence shows an individual is responsible, that person will face consequences.
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PHOTOS: A visual look at the three days of fires in southern B.C.
The premier predicted the cost of fighting fires this season could balloon to as much as $400 million. The province budgets for fires on a five-year average, working out to about $60 million a year.
“I don’t wake up in the morning thinking about where we’re going to find the money to fight the fires. I get up in the morning thinking, ‘How am I going to make sure we put these fires out?'” she said.
INTERACTIVE: The cost of B.C. wildfires over the last decade
“Because whatever we need to spend, we spend it to make sure we look after the people of this province.”
However, the provincial government says it’s too early to commit to helping fire victims out financially.
Chris Duffy of Emergency Management B.C. says the unlike overland flooding, insurance can be obtained for fires. However, they will be looking at supports over the coming days.
– With files from Nadia Stewart, Jeremy Hunka and the Canadian Press
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