It took firefighters almost 18 hours to put out a fire at the Frank Kent Cadillac dealership in Fort Worth, Texas. The blaze broke out late on a Friday afternoon, on the west side of the city, and by the time it was done six Cadillac Escalade IQs were destroyed and two other Cadillac EVs had minor damage. Nobody was hurt.
Why it burned so long
Crews arriving at the scene found several electric vehicles already involved and the fire spreading fast. The Fort Worth Fire Department draped special blankets over the burning vehicles to stop flames reaching their neighbours, which bought time to drive other EVs clear. Even so, firefighters worked through the night, swapping crews every two hours.
The technical reality is unkind to anyone holding a hose. EV batteries are built to keep water out, which is exactly what you do not want when the battery is the thing on fire. The chemistry can also burn far hotter than petrol and sometimes gives 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.
The vehicle at the centre
The Escalade IQ is the electric version of Cadillac’s full-size luxury SUV, which dates to the 1999 model year. GM showed it on August 8, 2023, as the third model in Cadillac’s EV line after the Celestiq and Lyriq. It went on sale in late 2024 as a 2025 model, from $130,000. Under the hood, or rather under the floor, sits one of the largest batteries in any production vehicle: a 24-module pack with 205 kWh of usable capacity and an estimated 465 miles of range.
That is a long way from the first Escalade, a rushed, badge-engineered GMC Yukon Denali with a 5.7-litre Vortec V8 making 255 hp, rated at 11 mpg in the city and 15 on the highway.
The recall question
No earlier fires involving the SUV had been reported. But in July, GM recalled certain 2026 model year Escalade IQ and long-wheelbase Escalade IQL models over an improperly secured internal component that could move and damage the battery, and the affected batteries were replaced. Whether the dealership fire has anything to do with that defect is unclear.
Fire departments will need the right equipment, training and procedures as EVs multiply. Fort Worth’s response suggests some already have them.
Sources
- Several Cadillac Escalade IQs Destroyed In EV-Fueled Fire That Lasted 18 Hours
- Cadillac Escalade
- This Carbon-Fiber Body Kit Makes the Cadillac Escalade-V Look Like the Loudest SUV in Town
Photo: BuickCentury04 (CC BY-SA 4.0)
