Nearly $1 million in Caddies go up on flames in north Houston

A row of burnt Cadillac Escalades sit at Tom Peacock Cadillac near Airtex, Tuesday, May 6, 2014, in Houston. The vehicles burned to the ground after a wreck sparked a fire igniting the Escalades on the lot. General Manager Steven Hainline said the damage totals nearly $750,000. less A row of burnt Cadillac Escalades sit at Tom Peacock Cadillac near Airtex, Tuesday, May 6, 2014, in Houston. The vehicles burned to the ground after a wreck sparked a fire igniting the Escalades on the lot. ... more Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 20 Caption Close Nearly $1 million in Caddies go up on flames in north Houston 1 / 20 Back to Gallery

Fire damaged several pricey Cadillacs early Tuesday morning at an auto dealership along Interstate 45 in north Harris County.

The flames broke about 1:45 a.m. at the Tom Peacock dealership along the North Freeway near Lockhaven, according to Harris County fire officials.

A chain-reaction collision on the access road in front of the dealership sparked the fire that caused almost $1 million in damages, authorities said.

According to preliminary information, a woman driving a sport utility vehicle rear-ended a passenger car, authorities said.

The car then struck a utility pole that fell and sparked the blaze at the car dealership.

In all, about seven cars were damaged.

Although the investigation is continuing, according to preliminary information the driver of the SUV will likely be found responsible, authorities said.

"Their action did cause the other car to drive into the dealership. The male victim would not be at fault," said Harris County sheriff's deputy Thomas Gilliland.

While the driver of the SUV could face charges from the crash, the damages to the cars in the lot would be a civil matter, Gilliland said.