Fire destroys restaurant, Masonic lodge

Scotland Neck, N.C. — An early morning fire destroyed a restaurant and a Masonic lodge in Scotland Neck Saturday, fire officials said.

An on-duty police officer driving by spotted smoke coming from the two-story buildings at 1010 Main St./U.S. Highway 258 around 4:30 a.m., Fire Chief Patrick Staton said. Luigi's Restaurant and a Masonic Hall, also used for meetings by other groups, burned to the ground.

No one was injured. The buildings, both dating from the 1920s, were total losses, Police Chief Joe Williams said.

The fire originated in the kitchen at Luigi's and was possibly electrical in nature, Williams said. However, the cause remains under investigation.

State Bureau of Investigation agents will arrive Sunday to help examine evidence at the scene.