He described the fire as complicated to tackle because of the building’s design and roof construction.
Co-owner of the lodge, Vicki Onions, said all guests were relocated to hotels in Te Anau as a safety measure.
“No one was injured”, Onions told the Herald.
She said at this stage it was too early to determine the extent of the damage or the cause of the fire.
“The owners of Fiordland Lodge are grateful for the swift response and support of emergency services.”
Fire and Emergency was alerted to the fire, off the Te Anau Milford Highway, at 11.15pm yesterday, a spokesperson said.
The fire had engulfed the building upon firefighters’ arrival and had reached third alarm, they said.
At the blaze’s peak, eight fire trucks, an aerial appliance, five tankers and two support vehicles were in attendance.
Crews from Te Anau, Manapōuri, Mossburn, Blackmount, Lumsden, Balfour and Invercargill were at the scene.
Operations began scaling back at about 8am but McQuillan said the aerial appliance, two pumps and two tankers will still be on site for several hours.
Relief crews are en route from Winton, Otautau and Invercargill to replace the personnel who worked on the fire overnight.
McQuillan asked drivers to be mindful of Fire and Emergency vehicles in the area this morning, including water tankers.
A Fire and Emergency shift manager told the Southland App the blaze was reported as a kitchen fire.
The outlet reported the lodge as being 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,” the publication reported.
The lodge includes a five-star restaurant and is a popular wedding venue.
