A fire that destroyed a Laurinburg home is being investigated by police as a possible arson.

The fire may have been caused by squatters.

A rental property owned by Betty Jean Brown at 15360 Cooper Street caught fire Thursday night, sustaining $15,000 in damages according to a Laurinburg fire report. Also lost were $5,000 in contents.

After the 13 Laurinburg fire fighters extinguished the fire, Laurinburg police began looking into the source of the fire.

The fire may have been started by an electric heater that was too close to the couch in the living room, according to a police report.

The house had no electricity and the tenant who had been renting the home moved out last week, the report said.

The back door appeared to be pried open and the electric heater had been moved, according to the tenant. There was no immediate explanation for where the power came from or who may have been in the home.

Police are investigating the incident.

"There are some indicators that would lead us to believe it's arson, but we have not been able to confirm that," Capt. Kim Monroe said.

He declined to release more information on the cause, citing an ongoing investigation.

If you have any information on this fire, contact the Laurinburg police at 276-3211 or contact Scotland Crime Stoppers at 291-3333.