Body found in Gold Coast house fire

A body has been found in the Gold Coast home of an elderly woman that has been destroyed by a fierce fire.

The blaze broke out about 8.30pm on Monday, quickly engulfing the Arundel house in flames.

An elderly woman who lived alone is understood to have been home at the time.

Police discovered a body inside the house on Tuesday morning but it has not been formally identified.

The intensity of the fire caused the middle section of the tiled roof to cave in.

A crime scene has been declared while the cause of the blaze is investigated.

Witnesses said the fire was leaping above the roof of the house.

"Flames were coming out of the roof. The whole place went up," one witness told The Gold Coast Bulletin.

Fire investigation unit officer Gordon Hemphrey said the amount of property in the home had helped fuel the fire.

"She was an elderly lady. She didn't tend to throw things away too much," he told ABC radio.

"It has added to the fuel loading which has helped to spread the fire throughout the house."