A man has faced court over a massive fire that destroyed a Dunedin boarding house

Fire crews were called to the Phillips Street property about 6.30am last Friday.

Emergency crews spent several days scouring the property checking no one was inside when it went up in flames.

A 57-year-old man - of no fixed abode - has been granted name suppression and remanded in custody, on one charge of arson

The building was midway through being demolished, following the death of 51-year-old Christopher Bonisch , who was killed in a non-suspicious fire at the house last year.