Chandler Street in Belconnen has reopened after a fire was extinguished inside a heritage building, previously part of the government's Cameron Offices.
An Emergency Services Agency spokesperson said the fire started inside a kitchenette on the second floor of the Weeden Lodge, which is now student accommodation.
"The fire was contained by automatic sprinklers in building," she said.
Traffic was flowing as usual from the Cameron Avenue roundabout into Chandler Street, as of 2.20pm on Thursday.
The ESA spokesperson said the sprinklers going off helped firefighters put the fire out quickly, but there had been significant water danger in the building.
"They are still on scene ventilating the building and investigating the cause of the fire," she said at 12pm.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, the spokesperson added.
Residents in the building were evacuated about 10.15am. One of the evacuees, student Eldon Tay said he had just woken up when he heard the fire alarm.
"It kept going on and I realised it's not a drill," Mr Tay said.
Wings 3, 4, 5 and the bridge in the former office complex, built in the '70s, are on the Commonwealth Heritage List.
A part of the complex was refurbished in 2012 as a residential block for students from the University of Canberra. The north and south wing of the Weeden Lodge consist of 309 student rooms.
Another part of the former office complex was purchased by the Church of Scientology in 2019 to be converted into an "ideal church organisation".
