Emergency services were called to a block of flats on Niagara Street in Armidale just before 10:30am on Wednesday after reports a blaze had broken out inside.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and worked to extinguish the flames, but the unit could not be saved from suffering significant damage.

Police confirmed that no one was home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries reported.

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New England police set up a crime scene at the unit complex and the charred scene was investigated by specialist officers.

Detectives homed in on a 38-year-old man in the hours after the blaze and he was arrested on Wednesday afternoon at a Galloway Street home.

He was taken to Armidale Police Station and charged with damaging property by fire worth more than $15,000.

The local man was granted strict conditional bail and will front Armidale Local Court in the coming weeks.

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