Carpenter Vaughn Richards said he was "absolutely gutted" to see the Glenorchy-Paradise Rd cottage he shared with German partner Caro Rennebeck ablaze when he arrived for lunch about noon.
Nothing was salvaged, except for Ms Rennebeck's immigration papers and a few tools in the shed.
"It was too hot and too much smoke to go in and save anything," Mr Richards said yesterday.
Help had come from all corners in the aftermath.
The couple wanted to say "a big thank you" to the community and their supporters.
"We've had heaps of beds offered, clothes, furniture, trucks and diggers to clear the site, food, money, windows, doors, iron and timber for building."
Mr Richards said the couple was "in limbo", but "doing OK" and looking at options for next year.
The couple had lived in the cottage for about the past nine months.
They are now staying in a caravan on site and have access to a motorhome.
Mr Richards said the cause of the fire was corrosion in the concrete flue on the water heater.
"A small flame popped out in the ceiling cavity. There was nothing that could be blamed on us or prevented, so that's good peace of mind."
Seven of the 30 trained volunteers of the Glenorchy Fire Brigade, backed up by eight firefighters from Queenstown extinguished the blaze in about 30 minutes, Firefighter Sam Dereeper said yesterday.
The property dated back to the 1870s and was known as Ross's Cottage.
The family of farmer Wattie Ross lived in the cottage from the 1920s to the 1950s.
It had been owned by the Hasselman family for about 30 years.
"It's a loss of an old historic cottage, a bit of history," sheep and beef farmer Mark Hasselman said yesterday.
"There's nothing left. They had to take it to bits with a wee digger and doused it section by section.
"The Glenorchy Fire Brigade did an amazing job to contain it within the house in that wind. The wind was just horrific.
"They had a small engine and just a few guys. If it had got into the trees, it just would have roared into the tussock country and several other buildings in the wind path.
"We're coping. The guys who were in it, they're the ones who just have the clothes on their back."
Mr Hasselman described the cottage as a sundry farm building that tenants had improved over years in exchange for rent.
There had been discussion at the Queenstown Lakes District Council several years ago about listing the dwelling as a historic building, but nothing came of it, he said.
Mr Hasselman said he did not know the value of the property and had not heard the cause of the blaze.
The family has not considered if they will rebuild on the section, which they also own.
