An early morning fire in North Plainfield Tuesday destroyed a vacant historic building on a 12-acre property and forced several schools in the area to close early, officials said.

Crews arrived at the historic Villa Maria convent off Route 22 just after 5 a.m. and were finally able to gain control of the flames around 7:30 a.m. It was the second fire in three months on the property.

“There was a fire here in July as well,” North Plainfield Fire Department Chief William Eaton said. “It was the exact same building a few months ago. We kind of wrote that off to vandals likely being the cause of that one."

The lengthy fire fight Tuesday morning caused heavy traffic delays on and around Somerset Street, and the smoke forced four nearby schools to dismiss students early. 

The following schools closed at 9 a.m. Tuesday: Stonybrook Elementary, Harrison School, and North Plainfield Middle School and High School.

The convent, which dates back to 1889, once served as a tuberculosis sanatorium. The facility was last owned by the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus and operated as a long-term health care facility until 2002.

There was no immediate indication as to what started the fire, officials said. However, Sisko Lassama, the caretaker of Villa Maria who stays in one of the many buildings on the property, told News 12 New Jersey that he noticed something out of place before the fire started.

Lassama said he saw an unfamiliar car on the grounds shortly before the flames were spotted.

"I see one gray car leaving with the muffler (making a) big noise,” he said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, authorities said.