STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A Staten Island artist says Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke to him Monday about the large 'T' sculpture that was set ablaze early Sunday morning.

Scott LoBaido, the artist who designed the 12-foot sculpture supporting Donald Trump, said the presidential candidate contacted him and Sam Pirozzolo, the man whose property the sculpture sits on, to discuss the alleged arson of the creation.

"He thanked us for our big 'T,'" LoBaido said. "He was just so honored that we had done this."

He said Trump joked that the two men were more famous than him after all the coverage they had gotten after the incident.

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment about the conversation.

The FDNY is investigating the blaze that damaged the statue early Sunday morning in Castleton Corners, a spokesman said.

The fire department responded to the location at 1:16 a.m. for the blazing 12 foot "T" at the intersection of Manor Road and Sturges Street, outside Pirozzolo's home.

The fire was brought under control by 1:36 a.m., an FDNY spokesman said.

"It was about 1 a.m last night and my wife, two kids and I were sound asleep when our neighbors rang the doorbell to tell us the "T" was ablaze," Pirozzolo said. "Otherwise, we would have slept right through it."

Earlier reports indicated that the fire was classified as a simple, "rubbish fire."

However, a spokesman for the FDNY confirmed later Sunday evening that the blaze was under investigation.

The giant "T" with an American flag on it was created by LoBaido in response to "harassment of Trump supporters," he told the Advance in May.

He said the destruction of his artwork was another in a long line of attacks by people of artwork they do not agree with.

"This issue is a freedom of expression issue," LoBaido said. "Regardless of what you believe, this is something we have to address as a nation."

Pirozzolo said he had his own suspicions about how the blaze started.

"I assume it was committed by a pro-Hillary supporter and I hope that this incident is elevated from an arson to a hate crime, because that's how I see it, since it was done on my private property," Pirozzolo said. Thank God it didn't spread to my home, which is in close proximity to the sign."

This was not the first experience Pirozzolo's family has had with fire while living at the location.

"Eight years ago, my house was burned down due to a fire,'' he said. "My wife and I were at work and there was an electrical shortage. It was a 95 percent loss, so we are very sensitive to fire issues."

LoBaido and Pirozzolo plan to erect a new sign at the location that LoBaido says they told Trump about.

"We told him that it's going to be 'huge,'" LoBaido said, mimicking the way the candidate says the word. "He got a chuckle out of that."