Suspicious Fire Damages Susan B. Anthony Home in NY

Rochester firefighters doused a suspicious fire at the historic Susan B. Anthony house early Sunday. 

Firefighters were called to the National Historical Landmark on Madison Street about 1 a.m., and while they were responding, multiple calls reported a house on fire. 

Crews found the back porch engulfed in flames and quickly began to knock down the fire in the rear while entering the structure to check for extension, according to the Democrat & Chronicle. 

The bulk of the damage was contained to the porch, with minor damage to a doorway along with smoke entering the home, Lt. Jeff Simpson told the newspaper. 

Simpson told the newspaper that none of the artifacts in the home were damaged.

The home is where Susan B. Anthony lived, and died in 1906.

Anthony, a civil rights leader, was arrested in 1872 after she attempted to vote and the home became the headquarters of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, according to the Susan B. Anthony Home and Museum and web site. 

Investigators said they have security camera footage showing someone by the porch moments before the fire was discovered. 

“The Rochester Fire Department has long understood the significance that this property holds both to our local community as well as the nation. A great job was done by the firefighters’ tonight in limiting the effects of the fire on both the museum and its displays,” Battalion Chief Joseph Luna told 13wham.com.