Fire destroyed a gay nightclub in Denton early Wednesday, and fire officials have determined the blaze was intentionally set.

Mable Peabody’s Beauty Parlor and Chain­saw Repair, at 1215 E. University Drive, was vandalized before it was torch­ed, said owner Kelly Sanders.

DRC/Gary Payne

Yellow caution tape surrounds the exterior of Mable Peabody’s, 1215 E. University Drive, on Wednesday. The interior of the nightclub was destroyed by fire early Wednesday morning.

“They broke in and took liquor and threw chairs all over the place,” said San­ders, who has owned the club for 13 years. “They destroyed the whole bar before they burned it. I wonder if it could have been a gay-bashing deal. I have no idea.”

Margaret Honeycutt opened the club 27 years ago as a gay bar, Sanders said. Back then, it was a brave move to open a club for gay men and women, but she has had no trouble, Sanders said. She said she has no idea who might have set the fires.

Sanders said she came up with the unusual name with the help of “a lot of wine.” She wants to reopen but it’s too soon to know what she will do, she said.

“I think I lost my identity along with my business,” she said.

Denton Fire Marshal Rick Jones said re­ports of a fire at the club came in about 5:30 a.m. Mable’s was destroyed by the flames, he said, and an adjoining business, G.C. Starters, was damaged by smoke.

Fires had been set in more than one place in the club, he said, and that is a signal of arson.

“We do believe it is a set fire. There were multiple points of origin,” Jones said.

He said some forensic evidence would be tested at a lab. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is assisting in the ongoing investigation. He estimated damage at $150,000.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the one-alarm fire quickly so surrounding businesses weren’t destroyed, Jones said.

DONNA FIELDER can be reached at 940-566-6885. Her e-mail address is dfielder@dentonrc.com