Melbourne CBD’s Degraves Street café strip evacuated due to fire

Patrons have been evacuated from Melbourne's famous Degraves Street café strip due to a fire.

Police and fire crews cleared diners from the area as smoke blanketed the laneway just after 2pm.

A Melbourne Fire Brigade spokesman said the fire is believed to have started in the kitchen of a café and is now under control.

Flinders Lane was briefly closed between Swanston and Elizabeth Streets but has since reopened.