By Daniel Simmons Ritchie & Lee Stace

A POT of burnt coffee left 150 businessmen and women standing in the rain along Dixon St in the Wellington CBD around noon today. 

Four fire engines were called to Crombie Lockwood House and firefighters spent 15 minutes sweeping the eighth floor looking for a potential fire. 

While there was no fire, the smell of smoke had to be treated seriously, says Thorndon station officer Andrew Walker.

 “We are not 100% on the cause of it, but we believe it was probably the smell of burnt coffee beans being roasted which might have been drawn into the building through the air-conditioning system,” he says. 

Wardens ushered pedestrians across the street while fire services investigated, and traffic crept around the parked fire engines.

Mr Walker said it was a legitimate callout for insurance cover.