Mulch fire causes minor damage at 150-year-old Naperville building

A mulch fire damaged the porch of a 150-year-old building near downtown Naperville, authorities said Wednesday.

A passer-by near the historic office building at 101 N. Washington St. noticed the mulch burning and alerted the fire department at 10:18 a.m., according to the PulsePoint app the Naperville Fire Department uses to make the community aware of calls for service and medical emergencies.

The department handled the situation as a structure fire and brought a large response to the scene. In less than an hour, first-responders were gone, leaving yellow caution tape around damaged areas of the porch.

The building, constructed in 1867, houses businesses such as a law firm and an insurance agency at the northwest corner of Washington Street and Franklin Avenue, said David Wentz, an attorney with Brooks, Tarulis & Tibble, LLC, a law firm that was located in the building until last August.

The original brick structure was amended with an addition on the back about 1900 and underwent renovations to its roof and awnings within the past couple of years, Wentz said.