A recent fire at a Cadillac dealership in Fort Worth, Texas, damaged eight vehicles and took firefighters almost 18 hours to extinguish. The fire occurred at the Frank Kent Cadillac dealership located in the west of the city late Friday afternoon and was put out by the Fort Worth Fire Department. As the department’s photos show, the battle must have been intense.
But why did the blaze take so long to extinguish? Because a bunch of electric vehicles got caught in it.
Special Measures Limit Damage
According to the firefighters, it was immediately clear upon arrival that the fire already involved multiple EVs and was spreading quickly. The firefighters covered the burning vehicles with special blankets designed to prevent the fire from spreading. This allowed crews to move additional EVs in the area to safety. Despite these measures, firefighters still had to work through the night to extinguish the blaze, with crews rotating every two hours.
EV fires are notoriously difficult to extinguish because their batteries, which are often the source of the fire, are designed to keep water out. The chemicals inside the batteries can also produce fires that burn much hotter than gasoline fires, sometimes releasing poisonous gases as well.
What Vehicles Were Involved?
While the investigation into the cause is still underway, the fire is believed to have started in a single vehicle, likely an Escalade IQ. Six of the electric SUVs were destroyed, while two additional, unidentified Cadillac EVs suffered only minor damage. Fortunately, no injuries were reported…