A witness told the Otago Daily Times the fire was a "very close call for a local family, one of whom was home when the fire started".
"He only just escaped the fire, not having time to grab any personal belongings."
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) spokeswoman said firefighters were called to the property, about 2.5km south of Millers Flat, just after 1.30am, after receiving a call from a neighbour.
The caller informed Fenz the occupants were out of the house, she said.
Initially crews from Millers Flat and Roxburgh were called to respond to the fire; however, while on the way it was determined an additional appliance and water tanker from Lawrence were also required.
The house was well alight when firefighters arrived, but was extinguished within an hour of fire crews arriving.
Firefighters remained on the scene until just before 5am, the spokeswoman said.
The fire was not considered suspicious, however fire investigators were on the scene yesterday to determine the cause.
