Southland Fire and Emergency New Zealand fire investigator Scottie Cameron said yesterday it would take him a couple of days to determine what caused the fire in the house 17km east of Mataura.
He said the unused homestead was "well involved in fire" when a someone driving along Old Coach Rd — SH93 — reported the flames about 10:40pm.
There was a quick response by the Mataura Fire Brigade, followed by the Pukerau, Gore and Wyndham brigades, he said.
The Fenz incident report said it took the firefighters over three hours to put the blaze out.
The home in the rural settlement of Otaraia stood just away from the road behind a gated cattle stop and, after the fire, a chimney and old dual-fireplace in the centre of the structure is all that remained.
Three police officers were alongside Mr Cameron yesterday morning to help investigate the fire’s origins.
The Fenz investigator said he could not disclose who the property belonged to.
A 2023 survey by the Gore District Council on the effect of the nearby Kaiwera Downs wind farm on surrounding landowners said the property "appeared unoccupied".
