Crews from three fire stations were called to a house fire at a Perth County dairy farm shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday.

The fire, at a home on Perth Road 147 south of Listowel and east of Atwood, continued to burn for six hours before it was extinguished – leaving the house destroyed.

Thirteen-year-old Seth Johnston was the first one to smell smoke, in the home which had belonged to his family for more than a century.

“The door handle looked really hot, so I quickly ran up the stairs, got my phone out and called 911,” he told CTV News.

The only family member inside at the time, Johnston was able to get to safety.

By 1:30 p.m., there were more than 20 firefighters on-site, attempting to extinguish flames coming from the roof of the home and trucking in water from off-site.

Ultimately, the home and its contents were destroyed.

 “There will be six of us together somewhere at dinner tonight, and that’s the most important part,” said Dave Johnston, Seth’s father.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.