A fire Sunday night in the Elijah Smith Building caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in smoke and water damage.

Though official damage estimates are not complete, Whitehorse Fire Chief Clive Sparks estimated today that the cost could be around $300,000.

Fire alarms at the downtown federal government building went off at around 9:15 p.m.

Firefighters discovered the blaze in the offices of the Canada Border Services Agency.

The fire itself was contained to the offices but not before causing significant smoke and water damage.

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but does not appear suspicious at this time, Sparks said.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) occupies 186 square metres of the 9,700-square-metre building.

Other tenants include Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency and Citizenship and Immigration.

This morning, questions for the building's management company, SNC Lavalin, about any offices being closed and for how long, were directed to Public Works and Government Services Canada.

The CBSA front counter office is closed until further notice due to the damage it has sustained.

The public can obtain services from the CBSA office at the Whitehorse airport during regular office hours: Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The building was erected in the early 1990s, replacing a Second World War-era structure known as the Federal Building.