HOUSTON --
An east Houston used car dealership caught fire Thursday night.
Firefighters were called to J.C.'s Auto Sales in the 2200 block of South Sgt. Macario Garcia Drive at Avenue V at 11:45 p.m. for a two-alarm blaze.
Fire officials said the office building of the dealership burned down. At least five cars were destroyed and more than two dozen were damaged.
No one was injured, but workers said they lost a couple of animals in the fire, including the property's longtime dog.
John Simmons owns the business next door and said the dealership's owner was close to retiring.
"This is a shock because it's been here before I've been here, and we've been here for 25 years," Simmons said. "He's a very good neighbor and a nice man -- good businessman. His business seemed to be doing well."
The damage was estimated to be $1 million.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire.
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