What fire officials are calling a suspicious blaze destroyed the former Shoney's restaurant early Friday morning in Hardeeville. The fire started at about 5:45 a.m. in the building on Hummingbird Lane, near Interstate 95.

The building had been vacant for about a year. Arson is a possibility because there was nothing in the building that could have started a fire and all utilities had been shut off, according to Fire Chief Daniel Morgan of the Hardeeville Fire Department.