G1 driver charged after car fire bursts into flames near Arthur

Vehicle fire on Jones Baseline, just south of Arthur, Ont. (Source: OPP)

Two people have been charged following a vehicle fire near Arthur.

Ontario Provincial Police said it veered off the road on Jones Baseline around 8 a.m. Tuesday.

The vehicle then came to rest in a ditch and caught fire.

“It was determined that the driver had escaped from the vehicle prior to it catching fire, and there were no other occupants or vehicles involved,” an OPP media release said. “The driver was treated as a precaution by EMS and did not require to attend hospital.”

The driver, a 26-year-old from Guelph, has since been charged with careless driving. Police said they were a Class G1 licence holder and, as such, should have had a qualified driver in the vehicle. The 26-year-old was also charged for driving unaccompanied.

The owner of the car, a 27-year-old from Guelph, was charged with permitting a vehicle to be operated by someone without insurance and permitting a person with an improper licence to drive a motor vehicle.