Nobody was inside when a house caught fire on Paterson St in Whanganui at approximately 10.25am on Monday morning.
Three fire trucks from the Whanganui Fire Station attended the scene in Aramoho and were able to bring the fire under control in about 15 minutes.
Station officer Shane Dudley said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
"We had a fire in the ceiling, making it inherently difficult to extinguish," Dudley said.
"It caused signficant smoke and water damage to the whole house."