An arsonist struck at an abandoned garage in Joppa on Tuesday morning that was eventually going to be demolished for a Harford County office building and new Southern Precinct for the Sheriff’s Office.

A passer-by initially reported the fire on the 1300 block of Pulaski Highway around 2:14 a.m., said Deputy State Fire Marshal Joseph Zurolo. Firefighters arrived to find fire coming through the roof of the two-bay cinderblock garage with attached office, said fire and emergency medical services spokesman Rich Gardiner.

The fire took firefighters about 45 minutes to control, and an investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office determined the blaze had been deliberately set. The garage, formerly operated by Edgewood Cars for Less, had been vacant for some time and open to trespassers, Zurolo said. It did not appear to have been occupied by anyone at the time of the fire.

Harford County bought the property in 2007 with plans to build facilities there for the county Health Department and the Sheriff’s Office. Government spokesman Bob Thomas said the fire would not affect those plans.