Cape Cod, Mass. Restaurant Blaze Ruled Arson

A fire that gutted a popular Bourne, Mass. restaurant has been ruled an arson, state and local fire officials said on Friday.

When firefighters arrived at Penner’s Place in the Buzzards Bay section of the Cape Cod town early Thursday, they found the building fully involved in flames.

“Arson fires frequently burn undetected long enough to get a big head start on suppression efforts,” Bourne Fire Chief Charles Klueber said in a statement.

The fire was extinguished by daylight but the restaurant was destroyed. Klueber said the restaurant would have been spared such extensive damage if it had had sprinklers.

Klueber and state Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan asked that anyone who saw suspicious activity around the restaurant between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. Thursday to contact authorities.