HARTFORD — A 19-century farmhouse was destroyed by fire Saturday in a quick-moving blaze on Adams Road.

Phillip Adams said his house was gone within 20 minutes. He said he was trying out his generator to make sure it worked before Monday’s rain and wind storm hit. He said he stepped out of the room and when he went back, fire was raging from his satellite TV box.

“I almost had the fire out with my fire extinguisher when it ran out of solution,” Adams said. “I went to get another one, but it was already too late.”

He thought the generator may have shorted something out.

Adams said the house was built before 1854 with hand-hewn boards.

He stopped talking as his two granddaughters came up to show him a photograph they found in a box of papers and pictures that had been pulled from the house.

He said Walmart had agreed to give him three days of his medications to last until he could contact his doctor on Monday.

Adams lost the house he was born in, which was a total loss, Canton fire Chief Shane Gallant said.

Canton firefighters were the first to respond with their one tanker and a loaner from Dixfield, Gallant said. He said the truck from Dixfield was much appreciated because Canton currently has two trucks out of service.

Besides the engines from Canton, crews from Turner, West Paris, Hebron, Sumner and Buckfield responded to the fire.

Hartford has no fire department.