At least 200 residents were evacuated from the Aura Apartments after a fire Thursday morning.

The fire has now been extinguished.

Before 6am smoke could be seen coming out of the top of the building, and from a vent on the roadside.

Five fire trucks were at the building at the corner of Cook and Nelson streets.

Fire and Emergency said they were called to the incident around 5.30am.

It said the fire was in an apartment on the 9th level and that it had been extinguished by the sprinkler system.

Firefighters rescued two people who were asleep in an apartment where the e-scooter had caught fire, Assistant fire commander Barry Thomas said.

Thomas said the pair rescued from the apartment were assessed by St John ambulance and were fine.

Evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes.

Electric scooter batteries are the suspected cause.