A damaged truck sits in the RM of Bifrost on Tuesday, October 1, 2024 after becoming engulfed in flames. (RCMP HANDOUT)
Manitoba RCMP arrested two impaired drivers on Tuesday after responding to a vehicle fire in the RM of Bifrost.
Officers with the Gimli detachment responded to the fire on Highway 222, near Road 127 North, where a pickup truck had rolled into a ditch and was engulfed in flames.
When officers arrived, they found firefighters battling the fire, and a woman who had arrived on the scene believed someone was trapped in the truck. However, it was quickly determined that no one was inside the vehicle. Witnesses reported seeing a man walking away from the area, roughly half a kilometre north of the crash site.
RCMP and paramedics located the 30-year-old local resident, who refused medical attention and was found to be impaired. He was arrested for leaving the scene of a collision and driving impaired. An additional charge for resisting arrest was also laid.
Soon after, the woman from earlier had driven up to where officers had the man in custody and was also believed to be impaired. A breathalyzer test signalled a warning level. She was driven home by police.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and it’s not believed to be triggered by the crash.
