Major fire rips through luxury Fiordland Lodge

One of the owners of the five-star Fiordland Lodge hit by a major fire last night says she's relieved everyone got out "safe and well".

A large number of firefighters have worked through the night to contain a fire which broke out at the luxury lodge on the outskirts of Te Anau.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (Fenz) dispatched crews from as far away as Invercargill and Balfour to join local brigades after the fire was reported at about 11.15pm.

Firefighters had initially feared people were still in the building but said everyone had been accounted for.

Fenz assistant commander Nic McQuillan said they had contained the fire to one wing of Fiordland Lodge, but work was continuing to suppress a flare-up and monitor hotspots this morning.

He described the fire as complicated to tackle, due to the design of the building and the roof construction.

At the peak of the fire there were eight fire trucks, an aerial appliance, five tankers and two support vehicles tackling the blaze.

Firefighters responded from Te Anau, Manapouri, Mossburn, Blackmount, Lumsden and Invercargill.

Operations began scaling back at about 8am but McQuillan said the aerial appliance, two pumps and two tankers would still be on site for several hours.

Relief crews were en route from Winton, Otautau and Invercargill to replace the personnel who have been working on the fire overnight.

They had been able to save the majority of the building, but an unknown percentage of it had been damaged.

Drivers in the area are asked to be mindful of Fire and Emergency vehicles in the area this morning, including water tankers.

Fiordland Lodge has 10 suites, a restaurant and bar and has hosted numerous celebrities, including Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart, Virat Kohli and Peter Jackson. 

It was sold last year to an Australian investment company Imperium Collection and Queenstown businesswoman Vicki Onions for more than $15 million.  

"We're relieved that everyone—and that includes staff and guests—is safe and well," Onions told the ODT. 

Imperium Collection also own multiple hotels in the Queenstown area, including Eichardt's Hotel, The Spire and Pacific Gem. 

• Do you have footage of the fire or know more about it? Email reporters@odt.co.nz