Fire at PNE fairgrounds leads to exploding fuel tanks and destroyed vehicles

A large fire at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) fairgrounds in Vancouver's Hastings Park led to multiple vehicles being destroyed early Sunday morning.

No injuries were reported in the fire. However, multiple fuel tanks and propane tanks exploded late Saturday night, leading to a three-alarm response from fire crews.

The fire was reported around 12:30 a.m. according to Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, with crews still investigating the cause as of 8 a.m. PT on Feb. 20.

The garden shop at the fairgrounds was totally lost to the fire. Multiple vehicles, two Zamboni ice resurfacers, and around a dozen trucks were destroyed too.

"[The fire was caused by] what we call a heavy fuel load," said Assistant Vancouver Fire Chief Brian Bertuzzi. "The shops were quite full."

Bertuzzi confirmed two other shops were damaged on the PNE fairgrounds, and more than 40 firefighters responded to the incident.

Emergency responders intend to stay on scene Sunday until the cause of the fire is determined.

According to a statement from PNE, the fire was confined to an area which had two buildings. The buildings housed office space, workshops, and supplies including fair memorabilia.

The fair organization says equipment and tools were lost in one of the buildings, but the full extent of damages was not provided.

"The Pacific National Exhibition would like to thank the firefighters from Vancouver Fire Rescue Services," the statement reads. "It was due to their quick work that the fire was contained to only one of the buildings and significant damage and losses were prevented."

The roads around Hastings Park were cordoned off for multiple blocks after the fire broke out, with loud blasts heard in the area due to exploding fuel tanks.

Hastings Park was the site of a confrontation between vaccine mandate protesters and counter-protesters earlier on Saturday, but no violence was reported and protesters mostly stayed apart.