10:33 am, October 19, 2023
Dealer group Inchcape has denied rumours that a huge fire at one of its showrooms was started by a faulty EV.
The blaze ripped through firm’s Preston Jaguar Land Rover showroom back in April, with part of the building since having to be demolished.
Work is currently ongoing to rebuild the site but Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service has now completed its investigation into the incident.
Experts were unable to identify a source of the blaze, which required attention from ten fire engines, amid strong local rumours that the flames began due to a problem with an electric car.
In a bid to put the whispers to bed, Inchcape has now come out and categorically denied any suggestion that an EV was to blame.
The firm told the Lancashire Post that a ‘non-vehicular electrical fault at the premises’ was the likely cause of the fire.
A spokesman for the dealer group said: ‘We worked in conjunction with various experts as part of a rigorous investigation to determine the cause of the fire.
‘The outcome of the investigation ruled out the possibility of an electric vehicle being the cause, and concluded that the likely cause was a non-vehicular electrical fault at the premises.’
The Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman added: ‘The fire is believed to have been accidental, however we were unable to determine a cause due to the damage sustained and, as such, we are no longer investigating.’
The fire was the second time in two years that a Jaguar Land Rover facility went up in flames. In March 2021, a new Land Rover Defender caught fire inside Dick Lovett’s Jaguar Land Rover showroom in on the outskirts of Melksham, Wiltshire.
The blaze was believed to have been caused while the car was being charged inside the showroom.
Last week, Camerons Volkswagen Perth was also subject to a major emergency services response when a fire broke out at the showroom.
Car Dealer reported on Monday that the business is already back up on its feet with sales staff working from a motorhome on the forecourt.
