A handful of occupants of a Riverdale apartment building were taken to hospital to be checked for smoke inhalation after a mid-morning fire caused in excess of $100,000 in damage.

Whitehorse fire chief Clive Sparks said nobody had to be rescued or assisted from the 32 Skyline Apartments off Lewes Boulevard, though some residents were taken to Whitehorse General as a precaution.

'The fire damage is really in the one apartment but there is certainly some smoke damage and some heat damage in the apartment above,' he said, adding the cause has not been determined.

Sparks said the fire hall received the call at 8:45, and firefighters were on the scene about four minutes later.

As scores of occupants of the complex were forced to stand outside and watch, RCMP officers and city bylaw officers closed the section of Lewes Boulevard in the area of the apartment building, situated directly across from the Rendezvous Plaza.

On-scene were a dozen firefighters, a pumper truck, the ladder truck, the rescue truck and ambulances.

Hospital spokeswoman Val Pike said late this morning six residents of the apartment complex were assessed by nursing staff at Whitehorse General and were waiting to be examined by a doctor.

It appears the blaze started in the bedroom of a first-floor apartment and heat had busted out the bedroom window, allowing flames and billowing smoke to climb upwards along the outside, the chief explained.

He said it does not appear as though flames entered either of the two apartments directly above.

And while the obvious signs of scorching on the exterior reach to the roof vents, which were slightly melted, a firefighter positioned on the city's ladder truck inspected the area and determined flames did not get into the roof cavity.

Skyline Apartments has 32 apartments in all, with 16 on one end and another 16 on the other, separated by a fire wall.

Residents of the 16 on the same side of the fire eight facing south, eight facing north, with a basement, first, second and third floor remained outside the building this morning.

Sparks said occupants of the 16 dwellings on the other side of the firewall were permitted to return to their homes fairly quickly, and it's likely the residents of the eight on the north side will be permitted back in early this afternoon.

How long it will take to return residents to the eight apartments next to and on top of the south-side apartment where the fire started is hard to say, he said.

The one apartment will have to be gutted and rebuilt. As well, there will be a need for substantial cleaning to rid the others of smoke damage, and some painting, particularly with the apartment immediately above, he explained.

The fire chief did note that where the smoke and heat did travel, the interior drywall did its job and prevented the fire from spreading.

Damage will surpass $100,000 but how beyond that is hard to say without knowing at this point how extensive the cleaning and restoration will be, he said.

Sparks said he suspects Skyline Apartments is insured but isn't sure about the individual occupants.