Texas Cadillac dealer fire destroys six electric Escalade IQs

A fire at a Cadillac dealership in Fort Worth, Texas, has once again highlighted the difficulty of extinguishing electric vehicle fires. The blaze, which broke out in the parking lot of Frank Kent Cadillac, kept firefighters busy for 17 hours and 33 minutes.

Six all-electric SUVs were rendered unusable in the fire. According to footage from the scene, all of the burned vehicles were Cadillac Escalade IQs, a model priced from more than $127,000. Total losses for the new vehicles alone are said to exceed $600,000. In addition to the six vehicles, two other cars were affected by the fire. No one was injured.

Cause of the fire still unknown

The Fort Worth Fire Department has not yet said how the fire started. The blaze began during the daytime and continued into the evening. Fire officials stressed that electric vehicle fires can reach much higher temperatures than ordinary fires and that the sealed design of battery packs makes extinguishing them extremely difficult.

Crews used large amounts of water to bring the flames under control and also draped special fire blankets over the vehicles. Meanwhile, nearby cars were moved away from the area. Officials believe the damage could have been far greater had the flames spread to the dozens of vehicles in the lot or to the dealership building.

Dealer thanks firefighters

Frank Kent Cadillac thanked the fire crews in a social media post. The dealership said that thanks to the crews' quick and decisive response, the fire was brought under control before it could spread to neighboring businesses and the surrounding grassland, and praised the firefighters' professionalism and courage.

While incidents like this may raise concerns about electric vehicle ownership, it is worth noting that electric vehicles catch fire far less frequently than cars with internal combustion engines. Automakers, meanwhile, are working on solutions to reduce battery-related risks. One of the latest examples is a patent application filed by Stellantis for a method that allows a damaged battery to be quickly detached from the vehicle.