‘You could smell tires burning’: Ottawa residents describe scene in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Ottawa residents say they have been told not to leave their resorts in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico amid unrest. CTV’s Dylan Dyson reports.

Ottawa resident Debbie Parrish-Lefort was ready for a warm, sunny week at her resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

She arrived on Friday, but by Sunday, black smoke clouded the sky as Parrish-Lefort found herself in the midst of violence from drug cartels in the region.

“When we woke up and I went on my balcony, I saw smoke in the air and you could smell tires burning,” Parrish-Lefort told CTV News Monday.

• Mexico appears to be in a ‘period of stabilization’ after Sunday’s unrest, ambassador says. Follow for live updates.

Violence and unrest spread across multiple Mexican states in the aftermath of the death by a notable drug cartel leader Sunday. Authorities have deployed the army and the National Guard to restore order.

“The marina is just down the road from us. A bus was set on fire, and just down the road, a car was set on fire,” Parrish-Lefort said.

“(The resort staff) have asked us not to leave the resort or to go to the beach.”

Global Affairs Canada updated its travel advisory for Jalisco state, the region where Puerto Vallarta and much of the violence are located, telling Canadian travellers to exercise a high degree of caution and monitor local media.

Elsewhere is Puerto Vallarta, Ottawa resident Carolyn Percy-Searle says they were locked inside their resort, with non-essential travel discouraged in the area.

“We came down to the lobby, and we saw the fires were pretty much all around the city, but we didn’t really know what was happening,” said Percy-Searle.

“A Costco near us was burnt. A Walmart had to evacuate people who were stranded inside because of cars burning.”

Global Affairs, says as of Monday morning, over 26,000 Canadians were registered as being in Mexico. Approximately 5,000 Canadians are in Jalisco state.

Despite the chaos surrounding her, Parrish-Lefort says she feels safe at her resort.

“I do feel safe. I’m not about to go out on the beach. They have boats patrolling the beach. But there’s still people that are going out on the beach,” Parrish-Lefort said.

“These cartel members have guns, and they are totally serious in what they want to do,” added Percy-Searle.

“So that’s why people were running past burning cars to get back to their resorts, and we’ve stayed in.”

Canadian airlines Air Canada, Porter, and WestJet have suspended flights into the Puerto Vallarta airport at this time.

“I am supposed to fly home this Friday,” says Parrish-Lefort. “But because all flights were delayed, our flight could be delayed. We were told this by Sunwing because of the back-up that they have to catch up on.”

Canadians in Mexico are urged to register with Global Affairs and can do so by calling 613-996-8885 or by emailing [e-mail].

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App