Person caught on surveillance video before fire at Susan B. Anthony Museum & House

A suspicious fire damaged the Susan B. Anthony Museum & House early Sunday morning, according to the Rochester Fire Department.

Shortly after 1 a.m. Rochester firefighters received a call that the fire alarm at the museum, 17 Madison St., had activated. Within minutes, 911 dispatchers started receiving 911 calls alerting them of a potential fire.

Arriving firefighters found the back porch of the museum was fully engulfed in flames, fire officials said. Firefighters contained the fire to the back porch, which was heavily damaged. There was minor fire damage to a nearby doorway and water damage to the interior carpet, said Lt. Jeffery Simpson of the Rochester Fire Department.

Smoke damage is apparent throughout the house, which will remain closed Sunday, said Deborah Hughes, president and CEO of the National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House. It was not yet known when the museum would reopen.

No historical artifacts were damaged in the fire, Simpson said. It took firefighters about 20 minutes to contain the blaze. No injuries were reported.

Firefighters said they are investigating to determine what caused the fire.

Hughes said that surveillance cameras captured video of someone on museum property, near the back porch, moments before and after the fire sparked. That person, whose face was covered, was also seen holding something on the video, she said.

There's also video footage of the fire spreading rapidly, she said.

It was not immediately known why someone targeted the museum.

Hughes noted how thankful she and her colleagues are to Rochester firefighters for acting quickly, carefully and respectfully as they battled the blaze.

Firefighters, she said, "exceeded all protocols to keep the House and its historic contents safe from the fire, smoke and water damage."

"They were aware they were handling a national treasure and were almost apologetic" for needing to enter the home, she said. While fighting the fire, firefighters also removed paintings and historic banners from some nearby interior walls to secure the items, Hughes said.

"This might have been a tragic loss of a national historic treasure," Hughes said. "Instead, it is a story of a job well done by first responders who care deeply about life, our community, and our cultural heritage."

“The Rochester Fire Department has long understood the significance that this property holds both to our local community as well as the nation," Battalion Chief Joseph Luna said in a news release. "A great job was done by the firefighters’ tonight in limiting the effects of the fire on both the museum and its displays."

The house was once the home of famed civil rights leader Susan B. Anthony. Now a National Historic Landmark, the house was the headquarters of the National American Woman Suffrage Association when Anthony was president.

The home was also the site of her arrest in 1872, days after she cast her ballot in a presidential election. She died here in 1906 at age 86.

The home was originally built between 1859 and 1864, according to the museum's website. Hughes said the back porch was not original to the house and that it was unclear when it was added.

Hughes, who was at the museum overnight for several hours, said that numerous neighbors called her as she was driving to the scene to alert her to the fire.

The charred remains of the porch roof and railings were moved to the curb early Sunday. Other small pieces of debris littered the scene. The boards' scent permeated the air.

The porch will need to be rebuilt, but because of the property's landmark status, will likely be a lengthy process, she said. The house itself will need to be professionally cleaned to remove the odor of smoke, she said.

"Today we'll be assessing what needs to be done and we'll start making plans," she said.

 Contact Victoria Freile at vfreile@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @vfreile and Instagram @vfreile. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.