Fire crews have extinguished a house fire in Waihi.

The Fire Service was alerted to the blaze in the home on Mackay St at 10.19am and it was fully extinguished by 11am.

The Fire Service will investigate the cause of this morning's fire in Waihi. Photo: Staff reporter.

It appeared the blaze began in the ceiling of the house before spreading.

Northern Fire Communications shift manager Jaron Phillips says firefighters were now dampening down hotspots and removing roofing iron to allow the building to be fully ventilated.

A SunLive reporter at the scene earlier says an elderly man was living at the property; however, he had escaped unharmed and was talking with fire officers.

It is not yet known how extensively the house had been damaged by the fire, which created a large plume of smoke over the Western Bay of Plenty town.

A specialist fire investigations officer has also been dispatched to investigate the cause of the blaze.