The Union County Sheriff’s Office is assisting the Carlisle Fire Department in investigating a fire that heavily damaged a house early Thursday morning.

Deputies were called to the blaze on 541 Pinckney St. around 2 a.m. A firefighter told Sgt. Dee Haney that the house had been empty for around two years. The owner had passed away and family members had been at odds over the estate.

Relatives said a law enforcement report was generated around Christmas about threats another family member had made about burning down the house.

The house was still connected to electricity.

Damage was estimated at $50,000.

Theft

Wednesday, an employee with a logging company told Deputy Jermaine Smith that someone took a trim saw worth around $600 from a wooded area off Sulphur Springs Road. The saw was left in the woods after the work day ended. The Stihl saw is white and orange in color.