Firefighters are battling a large blaze at a luxury lodge in Te Anau, Southland, which is expected to “take a while” to extinguish.

Crews were alerted to the fire at a lodge on the Te Anau Milford Highway at 11.16pm yesterday, a Fire and Emergency spokesperson said.

The fire is understood to be at the luxury Fiordland Lodge.

The fire had engulfed the building upon firefighters’ arrival and had reached third alarm.

“There were fears people were still in there, but everyone has been accounted for”, the spokesperson said.

Crews from Te Anau, Manapouri, Mossburn, Blackmount, Lumsden, Balfour and Invercargill attended the blaze.

Eight appliances, five tankers and one aerial remain on the scene.

“The fire is expected to take a while to extinguish”, the spokesperson said.

The Southland App 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.