CHIBA (Kyodo) A house in Katsuura, Chiba Prefecture, rented by actress Noriko Sakai and her husband, both facing drug trials, was gutted in a fire early Sunday, police said.

There were no injuries.

The police said they suspect that blaze and three other fires in two neighboring cities since Saturday evening were the result of arson.

The wooden house had been used as a second house by Sakai and her husband, Yuichi Takaso, both of whom often went surfing in the nearby sea.

Police on patrol in the area found the home burning just after 4 a.m. and brought in the fire department. The blaze was extinguished in about an hour.

Sakai and Takaso have been indicted for possession and use of illegal drugs.

Charges against Takaso include keeping amphetamines at the rental house.

Since Sakai's arrest, TV gossip shows have repeatedly aired images of the structure located near National Road No. 128, describing it as a "drug house."