Villa Vittoria Fire In Brick Ruled Accidental: Investigators

Brick, NJ -- A fire that caused extensive damage to a Brick Township restaurant on July 4th has been ruled accidental, according to the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Arson Investigation Unit, the Brick Bureau of Fire Prevention and the Brick Township Police Department examined the scene at the Villa Vittoria restaurant Tuesday morning, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor's office.

The investigators determined the origin of the fire was located in the kitchen, on the commercial range top, and started as a result of unattended cooking, he said.

"The cause of the fire was determined to be accidental," Della Fave said.

Damage to the restaurant was extensive, he said. The kitchen and an office above it suffered the most damage but the entire restaurant suffered smoke and water damage.

Della Fave said insurance adjusters and building contractors will decide whether any part of the building can be salvaged or if it will have to be totally rebuilt.

Firefighters from the Breton Woods, Pioneer and Laurelton fire companies battled the fire. No employees of the restaurant were injured but a firefighter was treated for high blood pressure, according to a report in the Asbury Park Press.

Brian Segura, son of one of the owners, on Sunday evening said that the restaurant will reopen.

"We'll definitely be back. We're not going to let this stop us," Segura said.

Firefighters battle the Villa Vittoria fire. Gaby Romero, shared to the Brick Patch Facebook page