Emergency services were alerted to the fire about 10.40pm last Monday by a witness driving past the Old Coach Rd, State Highway 93 property.
As the house had been unoccupied for some time, the fire appeared suspicious at this stage.
Southland Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) fire investigator Scottie Cameron said last week there was a quick response by the Mataura Fire Brigade, followed by the Pukerau, Gore and Wyndham brigades.
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.
After the fire, a chimney and an old dual-fireplace in the centre of the structure was all that remained standing.
Three police officers accompanied Mr Cameron during his investigations the morning after the fire.
Mr Cameron 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".
