Fire destroyed the storage facility of a Bridgeport fencing contractor Wednesday night, and officials say the blaze was deliberately set.

The fire at the Penn Fence of Lancaster facility at 52 Pitney Road caused an estimated $80,000 in  damages.

Fire Marshall Brian Herr said it's too early to tell if the arsonist responsible for the fire has any connection to the four blazes deliberately set nearly two weeks ago in the same vicinity.

"The investigation is still ongoing, but we can't rule anything out at this point," Herr said this morning.

Lafayette Fire Chief Ron Nolt said the call came in around 1:52 a.m. Firefighters were at the scene for about three hours and had to close Pitney Road, between Lincoln Highway East and Hickory Drive.

"A passerby saw it and called 911," he said. "When we got there, the fire was well involved. The structure was destroyed."

Lafayette Fire Company was assisted by Lampeter, Eden, Ronks and Witmer fire companies.

Wednesday's fire comes on the heels of four fires deliberately set in the Bridgeport area two weeks ago.

An unidentified arsonist set three cars and a home on fire in the overnight hours between Wednesday, Jan. 14, and Thursday, Jan. 15.

The house fire, in the 1800 block of Lincoln Highway East, caused an estimated $140,000 damage, officials said. The home was destroyed.

Two of the cars were intentionally set on fire while parked at Spot Check Auto, 1519 Lincoln Highway East. A third vehicle, parked nearby at Conestoga Trucking Inc. on Pitney Road, was also set on fire.

The damage to all three vehicles was estimated to be around $4,000.

At the time, Herr said he had reason to believe the same person set fire to all three cars because of a "specific method" they used.

Investigators have not yet determined if that same arsonist is responsible for the house fire or the Wednesday night fire at Penn Fence.

"The car fires took place just down the street from this fire," Nolt said this morning. "We don't know if it's the same person yet, but it's being investigated."


Staff writer Carla Di Fonzo can be reached at cdifonzo@LNPnews.com or 481-6027.