Vancouver police say they've found a suspect in the fire and explosion that destroyed a taco restaurant and a coffee shop on the city's west side early Wednesday morning.

A man is in hospital with burns to 40 per cent of his body, police said Thursday morning. He is not currently under arrest, they said.

A Starbucks cafe and a Taco Del Mar restaurant were destroyed by the blast Wednesday morning.
(CBC)

Police allege he is the same man that two witnesses said they saw running away from the scene of the fire and explosion, which destroyed the Taco Del Mar at 680 West Broadway Ave. and the neighbouring Starbucks, as well as damaging several other businesses.

Det.-Const. Rodger Shepard, a Vancouver police arson investigator said the suspect used two taxi cabs to make his getaway.

Both cars were impounded by forensic investigators, along with the digital camera footage from the cabs and surveillance camera footage from shops in the surrounding area.

The incident was an arson that went terribly wrong, said Shepard, adding police have little other information to release at this time.

"I'm not going to identify this person and I'm not going to give you specifics. The person does know he is under investigation. But that's as far as we'll go at this point," said Shepard.

The detective credited the teamwork of Vancouver fire department investigators for the break in the case and said they were confident the suspect would soon be charged with arson endangering life.

On Wednesday, police said a significant amount of accelerant was used to start the fire in the taco shop, and when an open flame was introduced, the explosion took place.

Investigators will not confirm the type of accelerant that was used, but said one gallon of gas can be equivalent to 15 sticks of dynamite when an open flame is introduced.

Witnesses said the explosion created a fireball that engulfed the taco shop and neighbouring Starbucks.

Windows were shattered at several businesses in the area, including the London Drugs store across the street.

The explosion also blew in a sixth-floor window at the Holiday Inn half a block away, but nobody, except for the apparent suspect, was hurt by the blast.

On Wednesday, the owner of the restaurant, Manjeet Nandha, told CBC News Wednesday she could not think of any reason why someone would set fire to her establishment.