Suspected meth user sheds clothes, sets them on fire, then refuses to get out of flaming car

A 26-year-old man was arrested for arson and taken to hospital after Winnipeg policefound him sitting in a burning vehicle in his underwear this week.

Emergency services personnel got a call about a man burning items in a vehicle on College Avenue on Wednesday around 8:40 p.m., police said in a news release Friday. The caller told them the man had taken off his clothing, added it to the fire and remained inside as the vehicle filled with smoke.

Several residents in the area tried unsuccessfully to convince the man to get out of the vehicle before police arrived, the release said.

When police got there, they found him sitting inside in his underwear as the vehicle burned. The front passenger seat was "fully engulfed in flames," police said.

Officers pulled him from the vehicle and extinguished the fire.

Police believe the man had taken meth before the incident.

The 26-year-old was arrested for arson and taken to hospital for treatment.

He's since been released on a promise to appear in court.

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