A fire that destroyed a vacant building in Glace Bay last night is being called suspicious by firefighters.

Firefighters were called to the former McDonald's restaurant on Sterling Road just after 7:30 p.m.

Firemen battled the blaze for several hours.

"[There was] a lot of heat, a lot of heavy smoke. We had to block traffic ... and we set up trucks in the surrounding areas just to protect other buildings in case there was any extra fallout from the debris that was falling around," said Henry Debison, a firefighter with Cape Breton Regional Fire.

Police say the building was unoccupied and had been used for storage. There were no injuries as a result of the blaze.

"A major fire of that nature, it's more protect the outer structure and work your way into the centre as you go," Debison said. "You're not going to put anybody into the building and take the chance of someone getting hurt, so you just knock it down as best you can and work your way in."

Residents told CBC News they could feel the heat several blocks away.

It's the second suspicious fire in Glace Bay in the past few weeks.

A Donkin area resident has been charged with starting a fire that destroyed a pizza shop.

A series of fires in Cape Breton Regional Municipality last fall prompted the formation of the arson unit.

Police say the matter will be investigated by the unit.