OXFORD — A house targeted by an arsonist earlier this month was gutted Wednesday morning by a second fire.

The blaze at 67 Jenny Lane remained under investigation Wednesday afternoon. Firefighters from Norway, Paris, Oxford, Otisfield, Mechanic Falls and Poland put out the flames in about an hour.

The owners of the single-story ranch house, Barry and Carol Laufer, were set to close on the sale of it Wednesday afternoon.

“It’ll be a total loss,” said Capt. Shawn Cordwell of the Oxford Fire Department.

The house sustained about $15,000 damage on June 4 when a fire was set on the rear porch, investigators said. The Laufers were home at the time of that fire, which started at about 5 a.m., but escaped after smelling smoke. Neighbors said the damage from that fire was repaired in anticipation of the sale.

Investigators from the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office ruled the June 4 fire arson after determining that an incendiary had been used to start it.

During that investigation, they arrested 34-year-old Robert G. Conrad of Western Avenue in Paris that night on a charge of arson in a 2007 house fire on Country Club Road in Norway, after his girlfriend confessed to being present at that scene. Conrad was released from jail June 9.

Chief Scott Hunter of the Oxford Fire Department told investigators at the time of the June 4 fire that Conrad had relatives living in the area of Jenny Lane and was a suspect in previous fires. The Fire Marshal’s Office questioned Conrad about the fire, but he denied any knowledge about the Oxford blaze and has not been charged in that case.

Neighbors said Wednesday that the Laufers were selling the house and preparing to move south to be closer to their daughter and son-in-law. They said a moving truck removed the couple’s belongings Tuesday, and they were going to close a sale on Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s a little nerve-wracking,” said neighbor Tasha Libby.

Libby said the Laufers have lived in the area for several years, and the lane was named for their daughter on Barry’s suggestion.

Mark Thomas, another neighbor, said the number of fires in the area was disconcerting to residents. He said there have been a couple of brush fires in the area along with the earlier fire at the Laufers.

“It makes you really cautious about who you see walking down the street,” he said.

The Oxford Police Department and several officers from the Maine Fire Marshal’s Office were also present at the scene. Once the fire was under control, they removed several items from the ruins.

Investigator Daniel Young said at the scene that the fire started inside the house, but that the investigation is still in its preliminary stages.

“I still have a lot of work to do in eliminating electrical and accidental causes,” he said.

[email protected]