A 21-year-old man charged with arson in the wake of a house fire in Tīrau has been remanded without plea.

The man, who has name suppression, appeared at Rotorua District Court on Monday facing one charge of arson and one charge of assault using a knife.

Defence lawyer Scott Mills said the defendant's mental health was "a relevant factor" and he requested a mental health report ahead of the next appearance at Tokoroa District Court on August 16.

The court appearance came after a house at the intersection of State Highway 5 and Webster Rd was destroyed in the Sunday night blaze.

Firefighters could see the glow of the fire as they left the station, says Tīrau Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Jim Phillips.

The whole back of the single-storey Tīrau home was in flames when fire crews arrived, not long after 9pm on Sunday.

Water was a problem for the firefighters, says Jim, and tankers had to be called in from Cambridge, Matamata, and near Rotorua.

Once they arrived, firefighters were able to control the fire quickly.

Multiple people had called Fire and Emergency about the fire, says northern communications shift manager Murray Bannister..

No-one had been reported as being inside the house and the cause was not immediately clear, says Murray.

-Stuff/Benn Bathgate