Vancouver car fire erupts in West End

If you heard explosions in Vancouver’s West End early Thursday morning, fire crews say they were because of a car that was engulfed in flames.

Vancouver fire’s Acting Assistant Fire Chief Al Gregory says crews were called to the area of Burnaby and Cardero streets around 4:30 a.m.

Despite reports of loud blasts, Gregory says the sounds were caused by exploding tires from a single car.

A car was destroyed in Vancouver’s West End after an early morning fire on Feb. 23, 2023. (Courtesy Alicia Taggio)

“Tires will explode, right? They get hot and blow up. It’s just them popping from the heat,” he explained.

“There’s other items within vehicles that will, once they’re heated up, they just still explode. Airbag systems and things like that.”

No injuries were reported.

There had been some reports of multiple car fires in the region overnight. However, Gregory says that wasn’t the case.

“People in the West End were probably hearing a lot of different noises as the car was burning and that sometimes happens. But, no, there weren’t multiple car fires last night so people can rest easy,” he told CityNews.

Vancouver firefighters at the scene of a car fire in the West End around 4:30 a.m. Feb. 23, 2023. (A car fire in Vancouver’s West End fully engulfed a vehicle early in the morning on Feb. 23, 2023. (Courtesy Alicia Taggio)

There’s no word on what exactly caused the car to go up in flames.