Police, Tasmania Fire Service and Tasmania ambulance attended the scene on Avenue Road about 10am, with the house already engulfed in flame. 

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, but it is not being treated as suspicious. 

In between 20-25 volunteer firefighters and five tankers from Westbury, Deloraine, Elizabeth Town and Sassafras Brigades responded. 

The owners of the house, a husband and wife, were not home at the time the fire started.

They arrived to find their home ablaze. 

The fire spread to consume the entire house within 10 minutes. 

TFS Deloraine brigade chief Daniel Watson said the heavy wind of Friday morning was a factor in how quickly the fire spread. 

“It definitely helped fan the fire,” he said. 

“The house is all weatherboard and of a fairly open-plan nature, so the fire had an easy path to travel throughout the house.

“Because we’re out here in the country also, there’s no water supply out here – it’s all dams and bits and pieces – so unlike in an urban area where you’ve got hydrants you can just tap into and have a constant supply, we’re relying on the water that we’ve got in the trucks.”

Firefighters were also able to suck water out of the pool and redirect it into fighting the blaze. 

At least 20,000 litres of water were used extinguishing the flames. 

Tasmania Police sergeant Stuart Greenwood of Deloraine said that heavy fog and cloud was a further factor to the fire being able to burn for 10 minutes without being noticed, as it obscured the smoke pouring from the burning house. 

He said it was a traumatic morning for the owners of the house.

“The owners are devastated as you can well imagine, they’ve lost the entire contents of their house and the house itself,” he said.

“I believe the house has been with the family ever since it was built.”

Mr Watson added that it was also a difficult morning for emergency services. 

“The house will be a total loss, unfortunately,” Mr Watson said. 

“As you can imagine we’re a small community, we all know the people who live through this area.

“It’s never nice, you always think you’re going to recognise the people involved, and if you see them distraught, it’s never pleasant. 

“But at that time we’ve really got to focus on what we’re doing, focus on the safety of the crew and the safety of the occupants, and getting the fire out. 

“The sadness will come over the next few hours looking through the house, doing the investigation, and then as everything calms down and the adrenaline runs off you start noticing how upset and grieving the people usually are.

“That’s a hard time for the volunteers, especially if they know the people involved.” 

The owners have been treated for shock, but are otherwise unharmed. 

“No one was injured, and from a fire brigade point of view, that’s a brilliant outcome,” Mr Watson said. 

An investigation from TFS and police will attempt to ascertain the cause of the fire.

The Avenue Road structure fire was called at the same time as another structure fire in Deloraine, in a fire pot in a shed, which had been extinguished by the time emergency services arrived. 

“We were spread pretty thin, hence why we had other brigade come in to help us with this one,” Mr Watson said. 

“That was all good and calm, but unfortunately it came up at the exact same time this one did so it did hamper us a fair bit.”

It is understood the home and contents were insured.