A November warehouse fire is now believed to be arson, the Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday.

It took close to 100 firefighters nearly 16 hours to put out the Nov. 18 fire at Wallace Trucking Co. warehouses at 17301 Wagram Road.

The State Bureau of Investigation believes the cause of the fire is arson after three weeks of investigation and lab testing, according to Sheriff Shep Jones.

He said the exact cause is still under investigation. jones would not say why arson is suspected.

The SBI, Sheriff's office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the fire.

The fire was first reported as a possible brush fire around 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 18. Before the first fire engine made it out of the fire station parking lot, backup was requested as firefighters could see the flames and smoke nearly two miles away.

When they arrived at the scene, they found two Wallace Trucking Co. warehouses engulfed in flames, though they appeared to be a single warehouse from the street as they were connected by a corridor. The warehouses contained industrial products for local manufacturers.

Laurinburg police evacuated nearby residents for fear the fire would spread to a wooded area on an adjoining property.

Seven fire departments from three counties – Scotland, Robeson and Marlboro – responded to the blaze, along with the Scotland County Rescue Squad and Scotland County Emergency Services.

Both warehouses were destroyed in the fire. The cost of the fire has yet to be determined.