Eight Cadillacs, nearly 18 hours of firefighting. A blaze at the Frank Kent Cadillac dealership in the west of Fort Worth, Texas, started late on a Friday afternoon and destroyed six electric SUVs. Two more Cadillac EVs suffered only minor damage. Nobody was hurt.
What the crews found
According to the Fort Worth Fire Department, it was clear on arrival that several EVs were already involved and the fire was spreading fast. Crews threw special fire blankets over the burning vehicles to stop it jumping further, which bought time to drive other EVs in the area to safety. Even so, firefighters worked through the night and rotated crews every two hours.
The technical reality is that battery packs are built to keep water out, which is precisely what a firefighter does not want. Lithium-ion cells can also burn far hotter than petrol and sometimes give off poisonous gases. The cause is still under investigation, but the fire is believed to have started in a single vehicle, most likely an Escalade IQ.
Under the hood of the Escalade IQ
The Escalade IQ arrived for the 2025 model year, built at General Motors’ Factory Zero plant in Detroit on the Ultium platform. It is the first electric Cadillac meant to replace an existing combustion model. Under the floor sits a 24-module battery with a usable 205 kilowatt-hours, among the largest fitted to any production vehicle, good for an estimated 450 to 465 miles of range.
Ultium is modular, and the Escalade IQ shares batteries and motors with the GMC Hummer EV and Chevrolet Silverado EV. Peak charging is 350 kilowatts from an 800-volt DC source, and the onboard AC charger takes up to 19.2 kilowatts. In Velocity Max mode the dual-motor, all-wheel-drive SUV makes 750 horsepower and 785 pound-feet of torque. It also steers its rear wheels and has power-operated doors on all four sides, a feature that earns its keep in cramped spots like the pickup horseshoe at Los Angeles International Airport.
The July recall
In July, GM recalled certain 2026 model year Escalade IQ and long-wheelbase Escalade IQL vehicles over a possible battery fire risk. An internal component that was not properly secured could move and damage the battery, and GM planned to replace the affected batteries. As ever, the detail that matters is the link, and at the moment there is none on record: no earlier fires involving the SUV have been reported, and it is unclear whether the Fort Worth fire had anything to do with the recall.
Owners of recalled vehicles can check with their dealer or GM’s service portal for outstanding safety actions. The Fort Worth authorities are still working to establish where and how the fire began.
Sources
- Several Cadillac Escalade IQs Destroyed In EV-Fueled Fire That Lasted 18 Hours
- Cadillac Escalade IQ
- Our Hallmark Movie Relationship With the Cadillac Escalade IQ’s Power Doors
Photo: Wlb5V (CC BY-SA 4.0)
