A tradesman rushed into a burning house in Queenstown six times this afternoon to check for people inside.
Irishman Jonathan Dunoyer and another man took turns to dash into the holiday-let house in upmarket Jack's Point after flames took hold.
They had smashed through a window with an axe.
Neighbours, including local schoolteacher Rachel Taylor, doused the flames with garden hoses while the two men checked inside.
Firefighters arrived at the scene, a rural neighbourhood based around a golf course, about 10 minutes later, shortly after 3pm.
Three teams wearing breathing apparatus searched the Rannoch Drive house. No one was inside.
Mr Dunoyer (26) said: "I saw the smoke from the main road.
"It was coming from the side of the house and it was 'that's definitely not a barbecue'.
"We knew something was wrong.''
Mr Dunoyer grabbed the axe from a neighbour's property. The whole right-hand corner of the property was by then engulfed in flames, going up into the roof.
"We knew we had to do something quickly.
"There could be people inside, so you've got to do what you've got to do.
"You don't really think about it, but I was pumping afterwards, still am now."
Mr Dunoyer, wearing two thick jackets, went in first, then when he came out the other man went in.
"He was a neighbour I think and a fireman in another town.
"We had to do bursts, less than 60 seconds, because the smoke was getting so intense."
Once they realised the property was empty, they continued fighting the fire.
"The houses are so close together here, it could have been a disaster."
It is understood the property is visitor accommodation rented out through website Airbnb.
Ms Taylor, who called the brigade, said she believes the fire was caused by hot ash from a fire, left in pot outside, which spread into the cedar walls.
"There was a big steaming pile of embers."
Ms Taylor said about seven neighbours and tradesmen fought the fire, although she said they were hampered by the fact there were only two taps to attach hoses to.
``We had to do something. It would have been crazy to just stand there and watch it burn.''
Thirty firefighters from Frankton, Queenstown and Arrowtown were on scene tackling the blaze.
Frankton Senior Station Officer Mike Ide said four appliances were sen to the K99 call - a "fully engulfed" fire.
Senior Station Officer Mike Ide said: "The fire started somewhere in the wall and spread into the ceiling, the roof space.
"We managed to contain it. There's moderate smoke and fire damage.''
Three breathing apparatus teams with low-pressure delivery fought the fire from the outside and inside.
"We don't know how it started."
Fire Risk Management Officer for Central and North Otago Stu Ide was on scene to investigate the cause.
Fire crews continued to damp down the house this evening and check for hot-spots.
About an-hour-and-a-half after the fire crews arrived and had fully extinguished the blaze, a group of five Asian people arrived at the property.
They were spoken to by police and then shown to the property.
