Driver of burning car arrested for public intoxication in B.C.’s Fraser Valley

Mission RCMP shared this photo from the scene of a vehicle fire on Lougheed Highway in May of 2026.

A driver who refused to provide a breath sample after his car was found ablaze was arrested for public intoxication in B.C.’s Fraser Valley last week, according to authorities.

First responders were called after a bystander saw a man “going back and forth” from the burning Toyota Prius on the side of Lougheed Highway on May 17, a statement posted to social media Monday said.

“Mission RCMP attended and spoke with the driver of the car, a 41-year- old man from Surrey. He exhibited signs of being impaired by liquor and could only say that a fire started while he was driving,” the Mission RCMP said, in the statement.

“The man failed to provide a sample of his breath into a roadside screening device.”

The burned-out vehicle was impounded for 30 days and the man was issued a 90-day driving ban.

“Due to the man’s level of intoxication, he was also arrested for being intoxicated in public and spent the night in a jail cell to sober up,” the statement from Mounties said.

“The cause of the fire is unknown.”