Fire damaged structures attached to a former presidential residence in the District Monday night, according to the D.C. fire department.

       The fire broke out in structures connected to the back of a house in the 2000 block of I Street NW once occupied by James Monroe, according to official accounts and online references. The site is at the edge of the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.

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       One of the damaged structures is two stories tall and used as a kitchen, the other is one story tall and used for food storage, said Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman for the D.C. fire department. He described the structures as “bumpouts,” and as apparent additions.

       Flames were leaping through the roofs of the two structures when firefighters arrived about 7 p.m., Maggiolo said. Although attached to the main house, the two apparent additions seemed to be structurally different from it, Maggiolo said. The main house lies on on the north side of I street, facing a triangular park.

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       Both attached structures suffered significant damage, Maggiolo added However, he said, firefighters were able to keep flames from spreading from the main house.

       No cause of the blaze could be learned immediately.

       References indicate that part of the three-story red brick house was built in the first decade of the 19th century. Monroe lived there from 1811 until 1817. That included several months in 1817 after he was inaugurated and before full restoration of the White House.

       Substantial expansion and renovation was carried out in the late 19th century, according to a form nominating the building for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.

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       According to the form, the kitchen wing in particular had been altered extensively over the years.

       Monroe was the fifth president, and his name is carried by the Monroe Doctrine, long known as a fundamental principle of American foreign policy.

       The house is currently occupied by the Arts Club of Washington. The site is a few blocks west of the White House, and just north of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, and the northern edge of Foggy Bottom.

       One firefighter suffered a minor injury, Maggiolo said.