Kingston-area visitors to Puerto Vallarta describe smoke, gunfire, burned buses after unrest

Kingston-area residents vacationing in Puerto Vallarta say they are safe but witnessed scenes they describe as chaotic — and at times resembling a “war zone” — after violence erupted in the popular Mexican tourist destination Sunday morning.

Tyffanie Morgan, a well-known Kingston drag artist, arrived in Puerto Vallarta with a group of friends on the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. By Sunday, February 22, she said, she was waking up to the same reports many Canadians were seeing online.

“I learned about things pretty much the same time you did on the social medias,” Morgan told Kingstonist in a video statement from her hotel room. “So roughly after eight o’clock, things started happening.”

Morgan said she did not hear explosions from her hotel room overlooking Bahía de Banderas, but she could see smoke rising over the city.

“I didn’t hear any explosions. I’m very close to the beach. I hear more of the waves than I hear the explosions going on,” she said. “I did get up, and then I was able to see the smoke from the city. And yes, so like others, of course, there was concern — some panic.”

She emphasized repeatedly that she and her friends are safe.

“So first and foremost, I do have to say I am safe. We are all safe and being treated very, very well here,” Morgan said. “We are quite safe.”

Hotel staff closed beach access Sunday morning and directed guests back onto hotel grounds, Morgan said.

“They closed the beach down… and told everyone to come into the hotel grounds,” she said. “There was a brief scare on the beach… Someone saw a gunman, and that caused panic and a slight rush back into the hotel grounds, where they also [told] us to go back to our hotel rooms.”

Despite the disruption, Morgan said, staff worked extended hours to feed guests sheltering in place, since many hotels are not set up like all-inclusive resorts and typically expect visitors to eat out.

“They weren’t expecting to feed all 1,000 guests. There was a long lineup,” she said. “But they really had a make-do attitude. It was ham sandwiches. When they ran out of ham, it was quesadillas. When they ran out of quesadillas, they were taking the frozen cheese sticks out, and they made sure that everyone was able to get some food.”

She also highlighted the strain on workers as roads and transit were disrupted.

“These people came on to their morning work shifts… at maybe six o’clock in the morning, and then at 8 a.m. things started happening,” Morgan said. “So people who were serving us dinner were the same people who had started at 6 a.m. They had no way to get home.”

She described streets barricaded by fires and a heavy police presence.

“I’ve seen maybe a half dozen taxis driving around. Most of the streets are bare. There are no vehicles, really, on the streets --- other than police vehicles, a few taxis, and a few motorcycles,” she said.

Many convenience stores were either burned or closed, Morgan added.

“Most of the chain corner stores [such as] Oxxo, many of them have been burnt out, so they’re not open,” Morgan said. “You’re able to get some water, maybe some pop, maybe some fresh fruit at some of the mini supermarkets that are still available. But of course those have lineups as well, and are slowly running out of stuff too.”

‘For a while it was like being in a war zone’

Another Kingston resident, Paul Fortier, who has been in Puerto Vallarta since early January with his partner Denis Leblanc, said Sunday’s events shocked longtime visitors and locals alike.

“We come annually and have many local friends,” Fortier wrote to Kingstonist. “Yesterday shocked us all as Puerto Vallarta is a safe, friendly and hospitable tourist city.”

Fortier said his partner was on the street around 9 a.m. when violence erupted.

“Denis was walking home from the gym about 9 a.m. and had to dodge cartel gangs on motorcycles setting cars and other vehicles on fire,” Fortier said. “He finally found his way home, skulking behind corners as the devastation continued.”

From their home in the Zona Romántica neighbourhood, Fortier said they could see fires across the city.

“We observed the city on fire with multiple blazes all across Puerto Vallarta from the Zona Romantica (where we live) to the airport north of the city,” he wrote. “Cars, buses and trucks were set on fire and pushed to blockade intersections and main roads. Soon, adjacent buildings caught fire.”

Fortier said grocery stores, banks, and corner convenience stores were targeted with fire bombs.

“They had an unchallenged reign of the city,” he wrote. “The local police and fire were overwhelmed on what would normally be a quiet Sunday morning.”

According to Fortier, the situation escalated later in the day.

“By 4 p.m., the military arrived, and numerous shoot-outs erupted throughout the city. Military helicopters were firing on cartel gangs,” he wrote. “For a while, it was like being in a war zone.”

He said things began to settle by early evening on Sunday, followed by an overnight curfew.

“Today, Monday, most of the city is shut down with no transit. The airport is closed with thousands of tourists stranded,” Fortier wrote. “A few shops are open with limited food supplies and long lines.”

He expressed concern about longer-term impacts on the local economy.

“My regret is that the city's reputation as a safe destination is now stained and that local businesses will suffer as tourists choose other destinations,” he wrote.

‘We got it firsthand from our balcony’

Other Kingstonians currently in Puerto Vallarta are Susan Scott and her husband, Wayne. No strangers to the resort town, the couple have visited nine times before.

From the balcony of their condo, Scott said, they watched the unrest unfold.

“We’re OK for now. It was quite the scene yesterday, and we got it firsthand from our balcony,” she said.

Scott shared photos showing debris-strewn streets below their building after vehicles were burned across the city. She said they were able to secure food and water from a nearby restaurant that quietly opened to support people in the area.

“We walked one block and banged on the restaurant door because we heard voices, so they let us in, and they gave us drinks, a baguette, vegetables, a lot of eggs, and water,” she said. “So we were very thankful to them.”

Having visited Puerto Vallarta many times, Scott said she had never experienced anything like Sunday’s events.

“I’ve always felt very safe here,” she said. “I always take off around 7:30 a.m. on my own, walking to the Malecón for an hour or two.”

The Malecón is a 12-block boardwalk lined with cafés, restaurants, and boutiques. But Sunday was different. While the couple was watching the Canada–USA men’s Olympic hockey final at a sports bar around 7 a.m., it became apparent something was wrong, Scott said.

“At about 8:30, people were running up the street, and there were three cars around the corner on fire,” she said.

“Then we saw the bombing of a bus around 10:30 a.m. I thought they were a bunch of teenagers… There were a few motorcycles,” she said. “Then I saw a guy throw something at the bus. I didn’t think anything of it until we saw another guy throw another [bomb]… We took off running back up to the condo.”

By Monday, she said, the military presence had diminished.

“The military vehicles, helicopters, and men armed with large firearms subsided today,” Scott said.

The couple attempted to reach a grocery store about 20 minutes away but returned after standing in line for half an hour without moving. A small store across from their condo later reopened, allowing them to buy water.

Scott said more people were out on the streets Monday, and authorities appeared to be clearing burned vehicles.

“From what we’ve heard, they’re not after civilians,” she said. “I walked around outside this morning and felt safe.”

Despite the shock of the weekend, she said she would return.

“I’d come back again next year.”

What triggered the unrest

The violence is widely believed to have been triggered by the reported killing of a regional cartel leader earlier Sunday in the Mexican state of Jalisco, where Puerto Vallarta is located. Mexican media reported that the killing prompted coordinated retaliation.

Jalisco is home to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of Mexico’s most dominant criminal organizations. Media reports have described a pattern of retaliatory violence following major arrests or killings, including coordinated burning of vehicles — known locally as narcobloqueos — in which cars, buses, and transport trucks are set ablaze and used to block major roads.

While cartel-related violence has affected parts of Jalisco for years, Puerto Vallarta has largely maintained a reputation as a comparatively insulated resort city reliant on tourism. Sunday’s widespread fires and reported shootouts were unusual for central neighbourhoods and areas frequented by visitors.

Ottawa monitoring situation

Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Anand, said in a press conference Monday morning that Ottawa is closely monitoring what she described as a “serious and rapidly evolving security situation” in multiple regions of Mexico, including Jalisco and Puerto Vallarta.

She said she is in contact with her Mexican counterpart, who “expects the situation to normalize in the coming days," and emphasized that Canada's "ambassador and consular staff are working with their counterparts to ensure that Canadians remain safe."

Global Affairs Canada updated its travel advisory Sunday evening to expand the list of affected areas and warn that “volatility may continue to spread.”

“Local authorities have in some cases issued a shelter in place order, and the situation remains fluid,” Anand said. “All Canadians in affected regions should heed the direction of local authorities and travel only when it is safe to do so.”

Anand said that as of 7 a.m. on Monday, 26,635 Canadians in Mexico had registered with Global Affairs Canada — an increase of nearly 8,000 in 24 hours. In that same period, Canada’s Emergency Watch and Response Centre received 440 calls from Canadians seeking information about flights and advisories.

“The safety and security of Canadians abroad remains our highest priority,” Anand said.

Morgan, who is scheduled to fly home Friday, said she has not yet received notice of delays but remains optimistic.

“I’m not concerned,” she said. “I really think this vacation can be salvaged, for sure.”

For now, the Kingstonians say they are staying alert, monitoring official updates, and hoping the city returns to normal quickly.