Although visible from the many condo and apartment buildings lining the quay, the fire didn’t seem to be threatening any structures but there is heavy damage to the area right along the pier.  “The red ‘W’ made of shipping containers is completely surrounded in large amounts of flame, there’s about 300 feet of the entire pier completely burning from underneath,” said one area resident.

By DESIBUZZCanada Staff With News Files

NEW WESTMINSTER— A massive fire in New Westminster’s Pier Park Sunday evening destroyed the pier and parts of the park with flames shooting into an already ashy sky, sending plumes of thick, black smoke billowing across the Fraser River.

The park spans a stretch of riverfront along Front Street, and Ashley Burr with CityNews told News 1130 she first noticed it around 8:30 p.m.

“There’s a massive fire right below the Pattullo Bridge in the New Westminster Pier Park,” she explained.

“It’s absolutely horrid, the smoke is so thick you cannot see past it. All you see is sharp flames.”

TransLink suspended Expo line SkyTrain service between Columbia and Scott Road stations, establishing a bus bridge.

“You can’t see the tracks right now with how thick this smoke is,” Burr added.

Front Street was closed in both directions, with drivers being advised to use Columbia Street as an alternate route.

 “From the Surrey side and underneath the SkyTrain bridge you can actually see the black smoke just billowing up into the air,” she said.

Huge flames going about two stories high and the thing that really strikes you is the sounds of all the firefighting equipment — sirens and many emergency personnel coming to the scene trying to get this thing under control.”

Crews from New Westminster, Delta, and a boat from Vancouver were all on hand trying to fight the flames.

Although visible from the many condo and apartment buildings lining the quay, the fire didn’t seem to be threatening any structures but there is heavy damage to the area right along the pier.

 “The red ‘W’ made of shipping containers is completely surrounded in large amounts of flame, there’s about 300 feet of the entire pier completely burning from underneath,” said one area resident.