An electrical fire at a vacant unit in an office building on Washtenaw Avenue in Ypsilanti spread through the shared attic of adjacent businesses on Wednesday evening, causing extensive damage.

The fire was reported about 8 p.m. when flames became visible through the roof of the unit formerly occupied by Total Odds & Ends in the Washtenaw Plaza office building, in the 2100 block of Washtenaw Ave. The fire spread to Shirley Redrick’s State Farm Insurance office on the south end of the center and Cable Advertising on the north.

Redrick said DTE had worked on the vacant unit twice during the day on Wednesday. Redrick called DTE after noticing a light was out in a back room, and workers came out to restore power around noon. Redrick said another DTE worker arrived around 5 p.m. and she was told he was working on the vacant building’s furnace.

Redrick left her office at 6:30 p.m., after DTE had left.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze within 30 minutes and remained on the scene for an additional two hours, Ypsilanti Fire Lt. Mike Kouba said. Firefighters from Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti Township and Pittsfield Township also responded to the call. Kouba said the blaze was an electrical fire.

A firewall between Cable Advertising and Action Rehab Services Inc. helped prevent the fire from spreading further, Kouba said.

Damages were estimated at $105,000.

Mick Robinson, owner of Cable Advertising, said fire and water caused extensive damage to cameras, audio-visual equipment and other electronics.

"I have insurance, but probably not enough," Robinson said.

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Contact Pete Cunningham at petercunninhgam@annarbor.com or by phone at 734-623-2561. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.