Waikouaiti Volunteer Fire Brigade Chief Fire Officer David McLeod said 20 firefighters from three stations — Waitati, Palmerston and Waikouaiti — were called to a house fire in Geelong St at 7.25am.
The house had working smoke alarms, and the family inside had evacuated, uninjured, by the time the firefighters arrived.
"They did well, they got out and stayed out and shut the doors on the way out."
The firefighters, some wearing breathing apparatus, had the blaze "under control" in about 20 minutes.
When the fire was extinguished, the house remained standing but appeared to be "unlivable", with extensive damage smoke and fire damage, he said.
A Fire Service spokesman said fire investigator, Gordon Bootten, was deployed to examine the house yesterday.
Police attended but the fire was not thought suspicious.
