A resident near Wangaratta Brake, Clutch and Automotive heard a loud explosion about 12.05am on Wednesday. 

A fire had started in a car that had been brought in for electrical work, and sent flames into the roof of the Ashmont Street premises. 

Firefighters responded to the incident and were given access to the building by the owner, who lives nearby. 

Wangaratta CFA operations officer Trevor Logan said several cars, a hoist and tools had been damaged. 

Several skylights will also need to be replaced, but the structure of the building is stable. 

“It was reported as an explosion with flames seen in the roof,” he said. 

“It had obviously been going for a fair while. 

“It had started as an electrical fault in one of the vehicles that was inside the premises.”

The damage bill is estimated to be about $100,000. 

"There were a couple of cars that had electrical cable burnt through,” Mr Logan said. 

“The flames burnt up through the skylights which allowed a lot of the heat to escape – it didn't spread through the building.”

About 15 firefighters from brigades at Wangaratta and Wangaratta North attended. 

The fire was brought under control in about half an hour. 

Mr Logan said there had been nothing to suggest foul play. 

“It's not suspicious,” he said. 

“We didn't formally investigate it because all of the paths lead to the dash in the car. 

“The firefighters did a great job to stop the fire from spreading through the building.”