A massive fire Wednesday night engulfed a four-story vacant apartment building under construction at 101 Oak Forest Ave. off Carpenter Road in Tifton.

The structure, owned by Todd Buckner, had only been framed and roofed and was intended to be 96 units, officials said. 

The fire was reported shortly before 7:30 p.m. and quickly spread to nearby trees and brush.

Tifton firefighters battled the blaze for hours to keep it under control, aided by the first real rainfall since early September.

Tifton Fire Chief Michael Coleman said Thursday that the cause of the fire was not yet determined, "but we suspect either lightning or a blown transformer in close proximity to the building. There were no utilities connected to the building yet."

Coleman said he hopes to get a report soon based on the investigation. He said a s tate fire marshal arson Investigator is assisting because of the dollar amount of the loss.

In addition to the Tifton Fire Department and the state fire marshal's office, other agencies responding included  Tift County EMS, the Tifton Police Department,  Georgia Forestry, Georgia Power and ESG, which handles several contract services for the city. 

Members of Tift County Fire and Rescue were at the scene on a standby basis, Coleman said.