Delta residents and commuters heading to the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal were greeted with an acrid smell and an alarming sight on Saturday morning after a fire broke out at a nearby port.
Videos shared on X and TikTok show huge plumes of smoke and flames coming out of a coal stacker at WestShore Terminals.
Big fire at Deltaport keeping Ferry goers a little warmer on a rainy morning. pic.twitter.com/dgIebqPhmN
— Curt Appleby (@CApps32) December 28, 2024
Curt Appleby told Daily Hive that he was driving to catch a ferry when he first noticed the fire.
“I was driving down the ferry causeway, which was super windy. I picked up a smell and thought it was a campfire. Then I looked over and saw a massive plume of smoke. It went for quite a ways.”
A fire broke out at the Westshore coal terminal, located near the Delta port in British Columbia. pic.twitter.com/FlGxMyUTZq
— Gurpreet S. Sahota (@GurpreetSSahota) December 28, 2024
Arpen Rana of Vancouver Fraser Port Authority confirmed to Daily Hive that the fire occurred at WestShore Terminals.
WestShore describes itself as Port Metro Vancouver’s only dedicated coal terminal and the busiest single coal export terminal in North America.
@ranvirdosanjh6837♬ snowfall – Øneheart & reidenshi
“We can confirm there was a machinery fire this morning at Westshore Terminal in Delta,” Rana said. “Westshore Terminal alerted the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority that a coal stacker had caught fire. Delta Fire responded to the incident immediately.
“The fire has been reported extinguished by the terminal and Delta Fire remains on the scene to monitor the site. There are no reported injuries at this time. Both Westshore Terminal and GCT’s Deltaport have temporarily shut down operations. Westshore is continuing to manage the response with Delta Fire.”