Dance Generation Dance Studios owner Meredith Solly said anything that might prevent blazes such as this in future was a good idea.

''There were 35 businesses affected by this fire,'' she said. ''If that could be reduced down to an absolute minimum, everybody benefits.''

More than two weeks after the Sydney Building was extensively damaged by a large fire, the National Trust has called for an extensive audit of the ACT's heritage-listed buildings. The audit would involve each building being inspected to assess its fire risks and determine how those risks could be minimised.

National Trust ACT heritage committee member Peter Dowling said many heritage structures were built up to 90 years ago, when Canberra had very different building standards.

''There is a lot of modern infrastructure being placed within these buildings, but at the same time, there hasn't been the same fire-protection or fire-retardant materials [installed],'' he said.

''The technology today has

outstripped the protective measures of the buildings.''

The push for an audit follows February's blaze, which began in Coo restaurant and spread to several other businesses, damaging large sections of the building.

Coo will stay closed for months, while nearby businesses may remain closed for the rest of March.

Mr Dowling said an ACT-wide audit was necessary to ensure large fires such as this were prevented or minimised in future.

''In the past 10 years, there have been two major fires within those sections of the Sydney Building, both of which could have caused the entire sections to be destroyed,'' he said. ''We don't want to see that.''

Mr Dowling said the first step in the audit would be a detailed examination of each heritage-listed building, taking into account their current functions and how fire resistant they are.

The buildings would then have to be updated internally, protecting them from potential disasters while maintaining their original physical structure.

''Any sort of protective elements that are to be brought into the building must be thought about carefully, including how that affects the heritage values,'' he said.

Mr Dowling said although the audit could be costly, it was this generation's responsibility to manage heritage-listed buildings properly for the future.

''The very fact that we have them listed as heritage buildings makes … the money spent on these buildings worthwhile,'' he said. ''We're not conserving for ourselves, we're conserving for the future.''

Emergency Services Minister Simon Corbell's office was contacted for comment but was unable to respond by deadline.