CHICORA — An apparent electrical fire this morning destroyed a former kitchen-cabinet business showroom on North Main Street, authorities said.

The fire at the building that once housed Collier’s Custom Kitchens caused more than $100,000 in damage. Much of that damage was to woodworking equipment in the basement.

Owner Michael Collier closed his full-time business three or four years ago but continued to handcraft cabinets in the basement.

“It was a like his personal workshop,” said his mother, Ellen Collier, who lives next door to the business that her late husband, William, started decades ago.

A passing motorist on the way to work saw the fire about 6:30 a.m. and called 911, said Chief Jason Miller of the Chicora Volunteer Fire Department.

About 50 firefighters from seven departments got there and found thick smoke filling the basement and rolling out the eaves of the one-time showroom feature on the building’s street-level first floor

Investigators believe the fire started in the basement and extended upstairs.