A fire broke out in a construction warehouse area under the South East Empire Estates wing. This decks across the way are are in that wing. Such a shame because black smoke damage takes time to remove.
The Fire at the Empire Estates Building Location
March 11, 2022
Fire erupted from a construction warehouse under the SE Wing of the Empire Estates building on Wednesday, March 9, 2022. The black smoke implied rubber or some other petroleum based material quickly caught fire. At the outset, the smoke was not as dense. It does not seem it took long for the fire to throw off dense, black smoke.Black smoke soon pours out of the area that caught fire.
The SE Wing of the Empire Estates is completely engulfed in the thick black smoke.
It did not take long for the fire to become a serious event. Elements of the Puerto Vallarta Civil Protection and Fire Department were soon on scene to extinguish the fire.
It appears this photo captures the end of the fire. White smoke and the darkened decks of the Empire Estates SE wing suggests the fire has been beaten down.
It did not take long for the fire to become a serious event. Elements of the Puerto Vallarta Civil Protection and Fire Department were soon on scene to help put out the fire. No more smoke, but the decks and units of in the SE wing of the Empire Estates show the affect of the smoke on the painted surfaces.
Reports are the bridge was closed shortly after management became aware of the fire. However, families and guests in the 4 BR, 2 BR and 1 BR suites located on the west side of Building 3 (The first pod built is called Building 3.) were relocated. We heard one family of 14 was moved to the Residence Tower for the duration of their stays.
Here is a recount of the experience on Vidanta Owners in Facebook:
This family was moved from the Estates across the bridge. Awful experience, but great response by Vidanta staff.
Different media sources in Puerto Vallarta reported on the fire. The following account is from Metropoli Bahia:
Fire broke out on the way to Boca de Tomates
Puerto Vallarta firefighters helped extinguish the fire
Elements of the Puerto Vallarta Civil Protection and Fire Department contributed to extinguishing the fire that occurred this Wednesday in a Grupo Vidanta warehouse on the road to Boca de Tomates beach.
According to the informative part, at 2:30 p.m. a report was received from CALLE Base about said fire in a building, when the firefighters arrived they realized that the incident was recorded inside a warehouse of a construction site, in an approximate area of 120 meters long by 80 meters wide, with accumulation of construction material (wood, solvents, wiring, tools, among other objects).
Said material was in free combustion and at the moment 10 water lines were already installed and attacking the fire with 4 brigade members each in 3 different fronts, and 8 pipes in circuit replenishing the lines.
The attack and control work continued for 3 hours and 30 minutes, managing to completely extinguish the fire, which did not spread to other areas of the building, which had already been evacuated in its entirety.
During the incident and control work, there were no injuries or injuries.
The works were carried out in conjunction with the following personnel:
-80 brigade members from the Vidanta company, under the command of Jesús Saldívar, in charge of Civil Protection for the work; 6 elements of the State Civil Protection and Fire Department of Jalisco, under the command of Óscar Javier Gómez, and 9 elements of the Civil Protection and Fire Department of Puerto Vallarta, under the command of Commander Gerardo Castillón Andrade, director of the same.
Work began at 3:00 p.m. and ended at 7:00 p.m.
This photo shows the damage done to the construction storage area under the Empire Estates SE wing.
It must have been difficult to enter the area to put down the fire. Very dark and smoky, to say the least.
It looks as though the man in the blue shirt is a Vidanta employee, volunteering to help however he can.
The corner of the SE wing of the Empire Estates building is barely visible in this photo.
The crew that fought this fire was impressive and fully prepared. Some of the firefighters are talking about the event in this photo.
It looks as though a member of hotel management is talking with firefighters about the event.
There is no question this fire was a serious event. Management says the source and cause is under investigation. All linens, window coverings and other cloth based materials have been removed and will be replaced after the interior has been thoroughly cleaned. Smoke damage is difficult to remove. We are sure Vidanta crews will do a great job returning the area to its original condition.