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A Saskatchewan man spending the winter in Puerto Vallarta said he stepped outside his condo and saw thick black smoke rising nearby after vehicles were reportedly stopped and set on fire amid unrest in Mexico’s Jalisco state.
“We stepped outside and you could see there was smoke very close to us,” said Alex Docking, who was in the tourist city when the situation unfolded.
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“They had stopped a number of vehicles, told people to get out and set the vehicles on fire.”
Canadians in Puerto Vallarta are being ordered to shelter in place as the violence escalates, with the federal government warning that criminal groups have set up road blocks with burning vehicles in the area.
(Video submitted by Brain Mills)
The feds say there have also been shootouts and explosions. It’s not yet clear if there are any injuries from the violence.
Air Canada, Porter and WestJet have cancelled flights into the Puerto Vallarta airport.
Docking said he and his wife were watching the Olympic gold medal men’s hockey game when messages began circulating from others in the area asking what was happening.
A cloud of smoke is seen in this video screenshot taken in Puerto Vallarta on Feb. 22, 2026. (Brian Mills/Submitted)
From inside their unit, nothing seemed unusual at first. But once he went outside, the situation became clear.
“Highway 200 is just up the street from where we are,” Docking said. “Between us and going down the hill toward the main part of Puerto Vallarta, there was smoke.”
He said a second plume then appeared farther up the hill, where it looked like a bus had been stopped.
“It looks like they may have stopped a bus there and told people to get off and then set the bus on fire,” he said.
At one point, Docking said, the smoke was unmistakable.
“There was quite a thick pall of dark, black smoke quite noticeable in the air and we could certainly smell it because it was quite close.”
He described the situation as frightening for anyone caught in it.
“It’s a very scary situation for anyone who would be stopped in these circumstances.”
The federal government is advising travellers to follow local authorities’ instructions and shelter in place where directed.
Docking said the unrest struck close to home because he and his wife had travelled to Puerto Vallarta many times before and never had safety concerns.
“We’ve come here many, many times. Never had any issues whatsoever,” he said. “We’ve always found this to be a very safe place, so yeah, this is disturbing to see this happening.”
Black smoke fills the skies in Puerto Vallarta in this video screenshot taken in on Feb. 22, 2026. (Brian Mills/Submitted)
He said many Canadians, including a number from Saskatchewan, were currently in the region for vacations or extended winter stays.
Friends staying at a hotel along the malecón (pier) told him they had been instructed not to leave.
“They’ve been told that they cannot leave the hotel at this point,” Docking said. “Basically, the door is all locked; no one can come in or go out.”
Daily routines have also disrupted. Docking said nearby stores are closed, and residents in his small condo building discussed pooling food for the evening.
“We’re left with what we have in-house,” he said. “There’ll be no way to buy anything at the moment.”
Despite the uncertainty, Docking said he and others are monitoring developments and hoping the unrest will not last.
“We’re all watching carefully to see how this unfolds,” he said. “We’re just hoping that this is going to be a short-term situation.”
— with files from The Canadian Press
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