GM: Chevy Volt was not the cause of to fire in Connecticut home

Two cars charred, including Chevy Volt, in home garage
Two cars charred, including Chevy Volt, in home garage

Over the weekend we reported on a fire that broke out in a home garage in Barkhamsted, Connecticut, claiming as its victims the new Chevrolet Volt, and a self-converted electric-powered Suzuki.

GM has released a statement regarding the fire and says that its engineering experts inspected the Volt that was severely damaged in the garage and found that it was not the cause.

GM’s Statement Regarding Garage Fire in Barkhamsted, CT:

Our engineering experts have inspected the Chevrolet Volt severely damaged in a garage fire in Barkhamsted, CT. We believe the findings indicate the Volt was damaged by the fire, not the cause.

The garage and its contents, including the Volt and a hand-built Suzuki Samurai EV, were heavily damaged in last Thursday’s fire.

While the Volt’s battery pack sustained damage, it was not extensive enough or of the type that would suggest that it caused the fire. In addition, there is clear evidence based on moderate damage to the cordset and charging system that neither component caused the fire.


The vehicles had been left in the garage for investigators and insurers to review when a second incident occurred earlier today. Smoke was seen coming from the damaged Volt and the fire department responded quickly. We continue to support the department in its investigation, sending our experts back to Connecticut to continue working with fire marshals.

We’ve spent more than a decade developing the technology which went into Volt. As such, it has a wide range of active and passive safety systems to ensure our customers are protected.

The most important thing to remember is that everyone is safe and fire investigators are working diligently to determine the cause. We’ll share more information as it becomes available.

– By: Omar Rana