Impaired driving crash sparks wildfire near Merritt, B.C.
A driver has been suspended for three months for impaired driving after a car crashed into a ditch and caused a small wildfire in Merritt, B.C.
Mounties were called to a crash on Highway 5A at the north point of Nicola Lake on Sunday amid reports a vehicle had caught fire and flames were spreading to the bush near the road, Merritt RCMP said in a statement Monday.
According to police, a witness said the driver had been swerving to avoid a fox on the road.
Suspecting the driver had been behind the wheel while impaired, the attending officer attempted to conduct a breathalyzer test. The driver refused and was slapped with a 90-day driving ban and the impoundment of their vehicle for 30 days.
The driver is not being investigated for the ignition of the wildfire at this time, police said.
'The Merritt RCMP continues to remind the public about and enforce impaired driving,' said Const. Blake Chursinoff.
'There is zero leniency with driving while impaired. We are grateful for our partners with (the B.C. Wildfire Service) for their swift action in containing the blaze and the public who stayed on scene and were able to provide key information to the officers for their investigation.'
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