Arson suspected in boat fire outside Vancouver nightclub

A company branded boat is seen on a trailer in the parking lot at Gallery nightclub, in Vancouver, on Thursday, May 7, 2026. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

Vancouver police suspect a boat fire in the parking lot of a South Vancouver nightclub early Sunday morning was a case of arson.

First responders were called to 1312 Southwest Marine Drive around 12:30 a.m., where a vessel attached to a trailer was on fire, sending visible smoke around the Arthur Laing Bridge.

Vancouver Fire Rescue Services told CTV News firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze quickly.

“Early investigation suggests that this is the result of suspected arson,” Vancouver Police Department Const. Darren Wong wrote in an email. “No injuries to report and this file is still under police and VFRS investigation.”

The blaze happened in front of Gallery Show Lounge, a strip club that had its liquor licence revoked since February over several violent incidents and alleged drug trafficking over the years.

Read more: Stabbing, drugs, shootings at Vancouver strip club. Owner says he’s unfairly targeted

Last month, the club’s owner petitioned the B.C. Supreme Court to restore the licence while a judicial review is pending, but the provincial liquor regulator’s decision was upheld.

The ruling said police were called to the club 94 times in two years, including for “violent incidents, including a homicide, stabbing and shooting in which two people were shot.”

Gallery’s owner and an employee were charged with drug trafficking last year, but the charges were later stayed.

With files from The Canadian Press