The blaze erupted at the GM Advanced Design California Studio, located near Sierra Madre Villa Avenue and Rosemead Boulevard, a roughly 149,000-square-foot facility that opened last year and represents a key investment by GM in advanced design and mobility.
Fire crews arrived shortly after the alarm was raised and ultimately classified the incident as a four-alarm fire, mobilizing over 100 firefighters and a hazardous-materials team. Thick smoke and the presence of lithium-ion battery packs in prototype vehicles complicated efforts on-site.
While early reports suggested the fire might have damaged several prototype vehicles or even parts of the building, GM issued a statement indicating the incident was “isolated to a single concept vehicle” and “did not spread to any other vehicles, design concepts, or the building itself,” to The Drive.
According to local reports, one firefighter became trapped inside the facility during the operation but was safely rescued and declined medical transport.
AUTO Connected Car News received the following from a GM Representative on Friday, October 24.
“It was not a massive fire – it was a single concept car that caught fire and the fire did not spread to any other vehicles or the building itself, and the fire was extinguished within 2 hours, and the cause is still under investigation.
Pasadena Fire Department spokesperson Lisa Derderian told Road&Track that the damage sustained by the building itself was due mostly to smoke and water from the sprinklers, and that the department called in haz-mat teams among other resources “out of an abundance of caution” due to the size and complexity of the facility.
We’re grateful that all employees and first responders are safe and accounted for. The isolated fire was contained to a single design concept vehicle and did not spread to any other vehicles, design concepts, or the building itself. We thank the responding fire departments for their swift action in extinguishing the fire.
There was an isolated fire at the GM Pasadena Advanced Design Studio on the evening of October 22. As a precaution, the facility remains temporarily closed but we’re looking forward to welcoming staff back ASAP GM is cooperating fully with authorities in their investigation and assessing next steps.
The Pasadena studio is part of GM’s broader push into advanced vehicle design, including concept cars that blend electrification, future mobility and brand heritage.