BY MATT HERSH

Salem police and fire officials are investigating what has been called a suspicious fire that destroyed a local eatery on Saturday, April 28.

The fire broke out around 5 a.m. at the Canobie Clam Box at 80 North Policy St., according to Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Emanuelson.

The small takeout restaurant was closed for the season at the time of the blaze and no one was injured.

Emanuelson couldn’t reveal much about the nature of the fire because of the ongoing investigation, but he said the cause of the fire seemed suspicious.

“We’re actively investigating this right now with the Salem Police Department,” he said.

Due to the construction of the 20-by-30-foot building, the fire was difficult to extinguish, Emanuelson said. There were multiple layers of roofing and siding as well as a couple ceilings which firefighters had to battle through.

“It was pretty stubborn,” he said. “We made mostly an exterior attack and had it under control within about an hour.”

The building is currently owned by Anthony and Mabel Mottolo of Andover, Mass., according to town records.

The Mottolos were unavailable for comment.

Despite an aggressive attack against the fire, Emanuelson said the building suffered more than $50,000 worth of damage to both the structure itself and equipment inside.

“It’s pretty much a total loss at this point,” he said.

The Clam Box restaurant was scheduled to open within the next month for the summer season.