A massive fire destroyed a century-old home in the town of Glenboro Saturday evening.

A man, who had been maintaining the home while the owner was in Jamaica, fell asleep and awoke coughing. Flames from a fire in the basement were coming up through the main floor of the house.

Firefighters got the call around 6:30 p.m. When they arrived, they moved into a defensive mode after judging the situation too dangerous, said Fire Chief Steve Bjornson of the Glenboro-South Cypress Fire Department.

The firefighters were concerned about wires and poles around the home catching fire, which could spread the fire to a nearby seniors’ home and the main hospital, said Bjornson. These buildings could have lost power, leading to an evacuation.

Thankfully, they avoided that situation, said Bjornson.

The man inside the home is doing fine, but the fire destroyed the home, which was likely the largest one in town, said Bjornson.

The building was built around 1916. “It was majestic in those days,” said Bjornson.

“(The home) was used as a hospital, a personal care unit, and then back into a residence. So it had quite a history,” he said. "It's a historical loss,” he said.

Firefighters still aren’t sure what caused the fire.