Vehicle fire leads to finding of 2 impaired drivers: RCMP

Manitoba RCMP says a man is in custody after a rollover collision in the RM of Bifrost.

On Oct. 1, Mounties from Gimli responded to a report that a vehicle had rolled on its side in a ditch and was on fire on Highway 222 near Road 127.

Officers and firefighters attended the scene and found a burning pickup truck in the ditch.

While firefighters were working to extinguish the blaze, a woman drove up to the scene and began screaming what is believed to be the name of someone she thought was in the truck.

Emergency crews were able to confirm that the truck was unoccupied. RCMP also noted a man had been seen walking about half a kilometre away from the truck, and an officer and paramedics went to speak to him.

According to police, the man refused to let anyone look at his injuries, and it was believed that he was impaired.

Following this, officers took the man into custody for impaired driving and leaving the scene of a collision, at which point the man began to resist arrest, which RCMP say he was also charged for.

While that was going on, the woman who initially drove up to the scene of the truck rollover fire, drove to where the man was being taken into custody.

Officers believed she was also impaired and conducted a test, and were able to confirm their suspicions. Officers then drove the woman home.

Mounties also noted that an investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, as it is not believed to have been caused by the collision.