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Emergency services are responding to what is believed to be an electrical fire in a central Dunedin art studio.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokeswoman said they were alerted to the blaze at the corner of Bath and Stuart Sts at 12.30pm on Thursday.
The fire was located on the first floor of a three-storey building.
No-one had been trapped in it.
“No risk to members of the public, though we would appreciate if people just stayed away,” the spokeswoman said.
“We’ve got number of fire trucks there and it just makes everything a little bit awkward for us working if we have excess traffic.
“We do have police doing traffic control for us, but if people could stay away and not be too inquisitive would be appreciated.”
Senior Station Officer Simon Smith said four firefighters entered the building wearing breathing apparatus and extinguished the "reasonably involved fire" with a hose.
There was a reasonable amount of smoke damage to the first-floor room.
A fire investigator had been called to determine the cause of the blaze, SSO Smith said.
Building owner Philip Day said it was believed to be an electrical fire inside a small art studio.
He was initially called because Kindee Thai Kitchen, on the ground floor, had reported smoke in their kitchen.
“Thank God we didn’t have water pouring into the Thai kitchen.”
The owner of the studio was away and he could not get a hold of him, Mr Day said.
Four fire engines and a police car responded to the scene.
An aerial appliance was seen raising firefighters up towards the building’s first floor.
The fire attracted a large crowd of onlookers from nearby cafes and businesses.
Access to Stuart St was blocked off by emergency vehicles.