A stabbing that left a man seriously injured in Burnaby Tuesday night and a truck fire that was reported a short distance away appear to be related, according to Mounties.

The victim, an 18-year-old Surrey resident, was attacked about a block away from the Royal Oak SkyTrain Station at around 10:30 p.m.

He managed to stumble to the busy station looking for help, leaving a trail of blood behind him on the ground.

"It was pretty apparent pretty quickly that he had been assaulted and stabbed multiple times," witness Christopher McClelland said. "I could see the blood running down his legs."

Bystanders rushed to help until firefighters arrived on scene to administer first aid. The young man was then taken to hospital with injuries the RCMP described as serious but not life-threatening.

Shortly after the stabbing, authorities responded to another 911 call about a burning truck located on a dead-end road about five minutes from the SkyTrain station.

Witnesses said they could hear the vehicle's tires exploding, and saw flames reaching up to the top of some tall trees in the area.

"It was an amazing sight. Scary," Jessica Barry said.

The vehicle's licence plates had been removed.

On Wednesday afternoon, Cpl. Daniela Panesar told CTV News the two incidents are "related and believed to be targeted."

There are also indications the victim was struck by a vehicle before being stabbed.

The area around Royal Oak was cordoned off with caution tape overnight, and officers could be seen combing the neighbourhood with a police dog.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Sheila Scott