The owner of a historic Deloraine cottage that was all but destroyed by a fire on Monday night says he's just grateful no one was injured.
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Neighbours first reported the fire after noticing smoke billowing from the Long Ridge Road cottage about 10.30pm.
Located on a farm about 15 minutes outside of Deloraine, Tasmania Fire Service station Officer Clynt Allen said it was well alight when crews arrived.
"Most of the damage was towards the rear of the house," he said.
"It took some time to get it out.
"Obviously, it's an older house, so it can take a while to get it under control.
"It was a significant fire."
The home's owner, Shane Johnston, said he got a call from neighbours to say that the "old girl" was on fire.
Used over the years as a farmhouse and as a temporary rental, the only part of the home that hadn't been destroyed was the original stone foundation.
Returning to the scene on Tuesday morning as fire investigators rummaged through the wreckage, Mr Johnston said while it was sad to see the home go up in flames - things could have been a lot worse.
"The young girl who has been renting it from us had just moved out," he explained.
"So luckily she wasn't home, and there wasn't really anything left in the house.
"No one was hurt, which is the main thing.
"It's more of an inconvenience than anything else."
A farmer with a second beef and sheep property nearby, Mr Johnston has owned the cottage - which sits on about 50 acres of farmland - for the past six years.
While unsure of its exact age, he said the small, three-bedroom home definitely had some history to it.
"I don't actually know how old the house is," he said.
"The gentleman we bought it off had lived here for 42 years.
"But there was a family here, and a property here before that.
"So I'd say it could be 80 or 90 years old. It's a pity - it was a nice little residence.
"We had talked over the years ... down the future to fix it all up. But obviously that won't happen now."
Investigations into the cause of the fire were ongoing, however damages were estimated at more than $200,000.
"I couldn't rule out if it was suspicious. I do have an area that I'm considering to be an area of origin," Officer Allen said.
Mr Johnston said it looked like it could have been an electrical fault, but nothing was known yet.
The home was insured.
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