Melbourne shop fire causes $70,000 damage

Firefighters are urging the public to avoid a Richmond street in Melbourne after a brief but intense fire in a shop caused $70,000 in damage.

Emergency services were called to the shop fire on Swan Street shortly after 2am on Monday.

A search revealed no one was in the two storey building and the blaze was quickly brought under control.

The cause of the fire appears to be an electrical fault involving a printer, authorities said.