Bainbridge Public Safety officers arrested a man on suspicion of driving under the influence Thursday afternoon after he wrecked his car in West Bainbridge and the car caught fire.

The single-vehicle accident happened at about 2:15 p.m. on Butler Ferry Road, about a mile west of the Decatur County Prison.

The driver of a black 2004 Ford Crown Victoria, 29-year-old Courtney Marquise Kinder of 1403 Donald Drive, Bainbridge, was not seriously injured in the crash. It appeared Kinder had lost control of the car and it slid off the road into a wooded area.

Daurell Thomas was one of several people who were driving on Butler Ferry Road and came upon the accident. Thomas said he saw the Crown Victoria’s driver lying on the ground and asked if he was alright. The driver kept trying to get back into the car, but shortly after the crash, heavy smoke began pouring from under the car’s hood, Thomas said.

Sheriff’s deputies and BPS officers responded to the accident. Kinder, who was later arrested, momentarily confused officers by claiming that he was a passenger and that the driver had fled on foot. However, Thomas and other witnesses like Mekaela Pollard, who was passing by in another car, identified the man as the only one who had been around the car.

Pollard said she saw that one of the Crown Victoria’s tires had blown out, but it wasn’t known if that was what caused the accident. The rear end of the Crown Victoria came to rest against a wire fence, which kept the car from sliding backwards into a ravine that was about 20 feet deep.

Firefighters opened the car’s hood and sprayed water on the engine compartment and used bolt cutters to disable some of the car’s parts that were sparking.

Kinder was taken into custody and transported to BPS headquarters and then later taken to the Pelham, Ga. Detention Center. He is charged with DUI (2nd offense), driving while license suspended/revoked, failure to drive within a single lane and a probation violation on the previous DUI charge.