A blaze at Frank Kent Cadillac in Fort Worth, Texas, earlier this week destroyed six all-electric SUVs, all of which appear to be Cadillac Escalade IQs priced at more than $127,000. Firefighters needed nearly 18 hours to control the fire, underscoring the difficulty of containing and extinguishing an EV battery blaze. Stellantis recently filed a patent for a system designed to quickly separate a damaged battery from its vehicle.
Dramatic images from the scene show several of the Cadillac EVs caught in the fire. The Fort Worth Fire Department has not identified the cause of the inferno, but it explained that controlling and extinguishing the blaze proved especially challenging. While the incident may cause concern among EV owners, electric-vehicle fires occur far less frequently than fires involving combustion-powered cars.
According to the local fire department, EV fires can burn at significantly higher temperatures than typical fires and may be exceptionally difficult to extinguish, partly because battery packs are so well sealed. The fire began during the day and continued into the evening.
Fire crews used substantial amounts of water to bring the blaze under control and placed specialized blankets over the vehicles while nearby cars were moved away. The incident lasted 17 hours and 33 minutes. Six EVs were destroyed and two other vehicles were damaged. The consequences could have been far more serious if the flames had reached the dozens of other cars in the lot or the dealership building.
Frank Kent Cadillac thanked local firefighters in a Facebook post, crediting them with stopping the inferno from spreading. “We owe an enormous thank you to our first responders, whose quick response and decisive action brought the fire under control before it could spread to neighboring businesses or the surrounding grassland,” the dealership wrote. “Their professionalism, courage, and swift action made all the difference, and we cannot thank them enough.”
A major fire at Frank Kent Cadillac in Fort Worth destroyed six Cadillac Escalade IQ electric SUVs and damaged two other vehicles. Firefighters battled the blaze for 17 hours and 33 minutes, using large quantities of water and special blankets to prevent it from spreading. The incident underscores the challenges of controlling EV battery fires, despite such fires occurring less often than combustion-vehicle fires.
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