Ontario residents who are vacationing in or living near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, are sharing their experiences after cartel-related violence broke out in the area this weekend. Violence erupted in the Mexican states of Jalisco and Nayarit on Sunday morning following the death of a notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel boss, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as 'El Mencho,' allegedly killed by government forces during an attempted capture. The killing was met with a wave of cartel violence, leading to warnings from governments for citizens abroad. Ontario residents sheltering in place, in line with the Government of Canada's updated travel advisory , recalled the chaos as cartel groups erected roadblocks, torched cars and local businesses across southwestern Mexico. David Custers, a retired engineer from St. Catharines, now living part-time in a condo in Puerto Vallarta, tells blogTO that he first witnessed a series of fires Sunday morning. "Within just two blocks, we saw a couple of fires right in front of what they call the CFD, the electricity company here. Three cars were ablaze, and there were a whole bunch of small explosions," he says. While some reports suggested the sounds were gunfire, Custers believes what he heard were tires bursting. Smoke in Puerto Vallarta. Image courtesy David Custers. Beyond the car fires, Custers adds that he also saw local businesses, including the Guadalajara Pharmacy and nearby kiosks, being destroyed. He has not heard of any civilian deaths reported on local news. "I'm just hoping that it's over now, and that we can get back to normal, because the good people of Puerto Vallarta really depend on tourism here. They're caring, they're helpful, and they don't deserve this," he says. Burlington, Ont. resident Don Parkhill and his wife Stella are vacationing in Bucerías, just half an hour away from Puerto Vallarta. He tells blogTO what he saw that morning. "We were in a restaurant watching the hockey game when rumblings started through the crowd. We heard some booms and saw thick smoke, mostly from Puerto Vallarta, and cars burning," he says. Parkhill adds that he is grateful that, because they had gone grocery shopping earlier, they have enough supplies to last "a couple of days" while waiting for the situation to calm. Melissa Burke, from London, Ont., staying at her parents' condo in Puerto Vallarta, shares in a public Facebook post that she witnessed cars being set on fire and drivers held at gunpoint. "You could hear explosions and see smoke all over this beautiful city. Then the guns came out, and we could hear shootouts, thankfully from afar," reads her post. She also saw a nearby hospital evacuate patients and staff. She shared photos and videos showing thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Black smoke rising in Puerto Vallarta. Image courtesy of Melissa Burke. Due to the ongoing situation, taxi and rideshare services in Puerto Vallarta have been suspended, and there have been numerous flight cancellations and delays, leaving many Ontario residents stranded. Chris Black, a sports producer in Toronto, shared on X that he and his family were supposed to fly back home on Monday but are unable to get a flight out with Air Canada until Saturday, Feb. 28. "Air Canada hasn't added any flights this week & only flights being offered home for myself, wife, kids, parents & my grandmother is a red-eye connector on Saturday thru LAX. Yikes!" he writes, adding that they have nowhere to stay for a couple of days. Ontario resident Amy Rose was also supposed to leave Puerto Vallarta; however, as she explains in a public Facebook post , her Airbnb host has allowed her to stay "for a little longer." Rose also shared videos and photos of vehicles being torched on the streets. A series of vehicles burned. Photo courtesy of Amy Rose. Rose is currently sheltering at a nearby resort before she can safely fly home. "It's absolutely bizarre and wildly dystopian being at a resort with pop music blaring and 'business as usual' when there are gunshots a few kilometres away and uncontrolled fires burning in the downtown 'romantic zone,'" she writes on Facebook. One day later, according to Custers, the situation appears to be slowly stabilizing after Sunday's cartel-related unrest. "We are seeing vehicles back on the roads and pedestrians out again. Activity is still lighter than usual, but life is slowly returning to normal," he says.