A former restaurant and train station went up in flames early Thursday morning.

Multiple fire companies were called in to help fight the flames at the Old Rusty Nail on Dunning Road.

Crews on scene were initially concerned that squatters were in the building.

A quick sweep of the area was done, but firefighters were unable to continue the search due to the rising flames in the building.

Once the fire was mostly knocked down, crews had to bring in an excavator to remove debris so they could keep putting out fire.

This building has a lot of history, before it was a restaurant; the building was once the Mechanicstown Train Station for the Ontario and Western Railway.

"A lot of the guys know it as the rusty nail restaurant, so it hits close to home. It's an icon from the neighborhood and a lot of the guys are pretty upset that it's gone now,” Mechanicstown Fire Chief Dominic Guardino said.

The fire is currently under investigation by the Orange County Arson Task Force and state police due to the suspicious nature and intensity of the fire.