ATHENS, Ga. - The tin roof and a burned-out frame are all that remain of a cabin believed to have inspired the B-52’s ’80s party hit “Love Shack.”

Athens-Clarke County fire officials said Thursday they considered the fire that gutted the unoccupied five-room cabin set back in a field “suspicious” and hadn’t ruled out arson.

Fire Inspector Reginald Hunter said Monday’s early morning fire couldn’t have been caused by faulty electrical wiring or a gas leak because the cabin wasn’t hooked up for utilities. He said building supplies used for renovating the house had been stolen.

Other properties near Athens — where the quirky band known for towering beehive wigs and catchy, oddball pop songs formed in 1976 — also have been credited with being the Love Shack. But it’s known that singer Kate Pierson lived in the cabin in the 1970s.

“I just was in touch with the B-52’s,” said Allisa Huestis of Atlanta, who had planned to move into the renovated house next week. “They said it was the original Love Shack and was where they created `Rock Lobster,’” the popular song from the band’s 1979 self-titled debut album.

B-52’s publicist Bradford Cobb said Pierson wasn’t available for comment.

“Love Shack,” released in 1989, became the B-52’s first Top 10 hit, rising to No. 3 on the Top 40 charts.

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