Four early-morning porch fires set today at homes in three municipalities bordering Coatesville have been ruled arson the the Chester County Arson Task Force.

"These fires share a commonality with the fires already under investigation, but at this point we will not say that they are directly linked to the arsonist or arsonists in Coatesville," said John Hagerman, special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

Two of the fires were in Valley Township. The other two were in Modena and Sadsbury Township. All four fires were reported to have been set on porches. The addresses are: 236 Church St., Valley Township, 12:35 a.m., side porch; 248 Church St, Valley Township, 12:42 a.m., front porch; 7 Smith Farm Lane, Sadsbury Township, 3:03 a.m., side porch; and 14 Woodland Ave., front porch.

The four fires bring the number of arson-related fires this month to 20. Last weekend 250 firefighters from more than 25 fire departments battled a seven-alarm blaze that destroyed 15 homes on Coatesville leaving 18 families homeless.

The damage to the four porch fires reported this morning was described as not being severe.

TThe arson task force is made up of representatives and resources from the Coatesville police department, the county district attorney's office, the county sheriff's department, state police, FBI, and ATF