There has been a major structural fire at the luxury log-cabin-styled Fiordland Lodge overnight.

Emergency services were first alerted to the fire, near Te Anau, at 11.16pm yesterday (31 Jan).

The Southern Fire and Emergency NZ shift manager said when they arrived, the fire - which had been reported as a kitchen fire - was well involved.

FENZ Rural Fire tankers ferry water to the Fiordland Lodge fire. Photo: Southland App

Crews initially had concerns that people were still in the building, but that turned out to not be the case.

The fire was quickly elevated to '3rd alarm' with crews from Te Anau, Manapouri, Mossburn, Blackmount, Lumsden, Balfour and Invercargill brought in and working at the scene throughout the night.

Smoke and water is seen billowing over Fiordland Lodge early this morning. Photo: Southland App

By 8am this morning there were still 8 fire appliances, 5 tanker, 2 support vehicles and 1 aerial appliance from Invercargill at the fire.

"They have made good progress with the fire in containing it - at the seat of the fire - and saving the remainder of the building," the shift manager said.

The manager said they would now start scaling back the operation, with relief crews from Winton, Otautau and Invercargill, and 3 fire appliances, two pumps and two tankers, remaining on site for most of the day to make sure there are no hot spots and ensuring that the fire was definitely well out.

Radio NZ have reported lodge owner Vicki Onions as saying that all guests were uninjured and had now been moved to local Te Anau hotels. She was also reported as saying it was too early to determine the cause or the extent of the damage, but that she was grateful for the swift response from emergency services.

Fiordland Lodge

The 10-suite, rustic-style mountain lodge with its three massive stone fireplaces, five-star restaurant and bar overlooking Lake Te Anau’s South Arm, is mostly booked out from October to April with mainly overseas guests. Located about 5km from Te Anau, it was opened in 2002 and has since hosted an impressive array of high-end guests, from Hollywood icons to A-list celebrities. It has been favoured by higher profile clients seeking an exclusive retreat when visiting the area and is also a popular wedding venue.

Built and established by Ron and Robynne Peacock, the property and business were sold last year to Australian company Imperium Collection (which owns the plush Eichardt’s Hotel, The Spire, and Pacific Gem in Queenstown), and Queenstown hospitality entrepreneur Vicki Onions.

READ MORE: From Logs to luxury, river stones to A-listers - the incredible rise of Fiordland Lodge

More to come...