BUSINESSES have been forced to close in central Wodonga after fire burnt through an electrical system and caused significant damage to a cafe.
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A passing paramedic found the small building – which abuts several other buildings in Stanley Street – alight about 4.15am on Monday.
Firefighters arrived and brought the incident under control.
They spent several hours on the scene.
RM Fresh, which has been run by a couple for about six months, was damaged by smoke and water.
Other businesses were forced to close due to damage to the power system housed in the burnt building.
Detective Sergeant Graeme Simpfendorfer said there was nothing to suggest the incident was suspicious, but the matter was being investigated.
“Thankfully the fire was reported really early,” he said.
“A passing motorist has seen the smoke and called triple zero which is a fantastic effort.
“The fire brigade have done a great job in saving the majority of the building.”
The cafe was forced to close following the fire.
Matt Poppins, who owns nearby barbershop Mad 4 Hair, said the cafe owners had worked hard to grow the business.
He said the fire would have a “huge” impact on the area, with about 13 business affected by the power outage or smoke damage.
“There's going to be no money coming in through the door,” he said.
“We can only hope that our insurance covers some of the cost.
“We’ve got wages, people have got jobs, we don’t want to lose workers.
“We want this to be over as quickly as possible so people can get back to work.”
The affected businesses include a jeweller, solar power installer, real estate agency and lingerie supplier.
Mr Poppins said he believed it would take about a week for power be reinstated.
Fire investigators examined the scene and the building was declared structurally safe.
It was unclear what sparked the blaze, but Mr Poppins said the building housed power boards for the affected businesses.
A post on the cafe's Facebook page said the owners would let people know when the business was ready to re-open.
No-one was injured in the incident.