Firefighters battled a blaze in the roof of a University of Otago building this morning.
Four crews from Dunedin Central, Willowbank, and Roslyn were called to the College of Education auditorium in Union St at 8.25am.
Upon arriving and seeing smoke, they called for additional resources from Dunedin Central, including the command unit.
A fire in the roof was located and had been "knocked down'', a Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said.
Firefighters were now using an aerial appliance to access the roof.
People were asked to avoid the area, as the road was blocked from Harbour Tce to Anzac Ave.
The couple's passports, birth certificates and Christmas presents were destroyed.