The South Shore Sports Center, a popular complex for the community in Hingham, Massachusetts, was destroyed in a fire overnight.

Flames broke out in the facility on Recreation Park Drive just after 11 p.m. Thursday and quickly tore through the roof.

Firefighters arrived within five minutes off the first alarm and they found heavy flames in the office, kitchen and dining area. They spent hours trying to save the building, but Hingham Deputy Fire Chief David Levenson said the facility is a total loss.

The sports complex is well known on the South Shore for its sports leagues and birthday parties.

"It's been around for 25 years or more (for) soccer, basketball, baseball. Everything went on here. It's going to be a loss for the community if they're unable to rebuild," Levenson told reporters Friday.

The building is so damaged investigators can't get inside yet to find out where and how the fire started. Firefighters had trouble getting water to douse the flames.

"We're in sort of a not a main road, so the water mains are generally a little bit smaller and the amount of water we were requiring was more than the main could supply. We notified the water company. They did what they could to pump up the pressure. You can only give so much," the deputy chief said.

Levenson said the next step will be the demolition of the complex. 

"It's just sad," said Leeandria Mannion, who's lived in Hingham for 25 years. She has two sons and they had their birthday parties at the center every year. "That's why I just felt I needed to come down here just to see because it had so many memories. Yeah, it's tough."

The South Shore Sports Center is family owned and operated, according to its website, and provides the community "with a place to play, learn, and celebrate our love of sports."

Sean Cummings, a father from Braintree, came to see the damage for himself.

"It's quite devastating. This place has meant a lot to this entire community. My daughters have been playing here for over seven years, soccer and basketball. This is going to be a pretty impactful loss for the community," he said. "Parents will bring (their children) here, not only to grow as an athlete, but to grow as a person and be more active in their community." 

Hingham is about 45 minutes southeast of Boston.