KITCHENER -- Ontario Provincial Police in Wellington County say a fire that destroyed a barn just north of Guelph on Sunday is considered suspicious.

OPP officers and the Guelph Fire Department both responded to a reports of a barn fire shortly after 7 p.m.

"It was a very hot fire, a very fast fire," Deputy Fire Chief Monty Armstrong with the Guelph Fire Department said. "You would've seen burning through the building right away."

The barn was found engulfed in flames when crews arrived on scene, although police say no animals were inside the structure at the time.

"The barn was used for storage, so there was no livestock to worry about," Armstrong said.

Firefighters from Centre Wellington and Guelph Eramosa were also called to the scene to assist in getting the fire under control.

"We don't have a dollar estimate yet, but the building was a total loss," Armstrong said. "The contents were a total loss, so pretty significant."

Officers closed several lanes on Highway 6 and redirected traffic as emergency crews dealt with the fire. The road reopened at about 12:30 a.m. Monday.

"Because it was a rural area, there isn't a lot of water out there," Armstrong said. "We had to start a tender shuttle operation where we bring water in from other locations."

Officials say that the barn is considered a total loss.