Firefighters were called to a fire in Hanborough House in central Dunedin last night.
A Fire Service spokesman said a passerby saw a fire in a window in the building and called police.
Police called the Fire Service, which deployed four fire engines about 11.15pm.
On arrival, residents in the building were being woken and evacuated, he said.
A crew discovered a small fire in a room on the third floor and extinguished it "with no real problems'' and used breathing apparatus, a ``big free-standing ladder'' and a high-pressure hose.
The fire was not being treated as suspicious, he said.
There was no indication to how the fire started, he said.
A police spokeswoman said no-one was injured and an ambulance was not required.
A section of Moray Pl was blocked, between View and Stuart Sts, until about 12.30am today, she said.
