A fire that destroyed an abandoned barn and burned two acres late Thursday night in Beaufort County is one of a series of fires now classified as arson, according to authorities.

When firefighters arrived at the barn on South Boyd Road off U.S. Highway 264 near Bath, it was fully engulfed, according to Curtis Avery, county fire marshal, who responded to the scene. Firefighters were dispatched to the fire just before 11 p.m.

The Thursday night blaze comes two days after firefighters battled five other suspicious fires, four in Beaufort County and one in Washington County. The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the State Bureau of Investigation, continues to investigate the series of arsons.

Earlier this week, investigators said they believe the fires may be related to a church fire on South White Post Road near Bath on Feb. 16 and a fire at an abandoned residence on Delia Wallace Road near Bath on Feb. 19.

A telephone call to and an e-mail (both seeking comment on the fires) sent to the sheriff’s office were not returned by the deadline for today’s edition.

Arson is the leading cause of fires (267,000 annually) in the United States, causing $1.4 billion in property damage yearly, according to a U.S. Fire Administration report released in December 2001. The report states that vacant or abandoned buildings are favorite targets of arsonists.

The report also said church arsons have increased significantly since 1996.