'We Will Be Back,' Villa Vittoria Owner's Son Says After Brick Fire

Brick, NJ — Kenneth Seals was on his way to the dollar store when he saw flames.

"I forgot my wife's Pepsi," the Brick resident said, "so I was going back to get it."

But the sight of flames made the volunteer firefighter and scout leader pull over to the side of Old Hooper Avenue in Brick. The flames were shooting out of one of the chimneys at the Villa Vittoria restaurant, and Seals knew there was no time to waste.

"I saw one person come out the back (of the restaurant), but I didn't know others had gone out front," he said.

So Seals ran into the back of the restaurant, through a screen door that leads to the kitchen. There were flames coming out of the walls, he said.

"The guy there didn't realize there was a fire upstairs," he said.

As people evacuated the restaurant at the corner of Old Hooper Avenue and Cedar Bridge Avenue, Seals dialed 9-1-1.

"By then Brick police were pulling up," he said.

In another part of town, smartphones were ringing incessantly at a family party.

"My uncle was trying to reach anyone," said Brian Segura, whose father is one of the owners of the landmark Italian restaurant in Brick. Segura and a number of family members — including his father and another uncle — were at the party, and no one was paying attention to the ringing phones.

Finally, Segura said, he noticed his phone and answered it.

"My uncle who was there called me in a panic," Segura said. "'Put Nelson on the phone, Villa Vittoria's on fire,'" the uncle said, and Segura said he handed the phone over. The news of the fire shook everyone, and they headed to the restaurant.

"We wanted to be there together," Segura said.

The Fourth of July fire caused significant damage to the restaurant, a decades-old landmark in Brick Township that readers say had been in business since the 1960s. It has seen countless birthday celebrations, bridal showers and christening brunches, as well as first dates and wedding receptions.

"It's so sad," readers said on the Brick Patch Facebook page. "It's a landmark."

"I wasn't sure if it was even open yet," said Seals, who was a volunteer firefighter in Bay Head and Boonton for 14 years. That training made him not even think twice about running in to get people out to safety.

"I'm also a Scout leader for Pack 38," Seals said. "I always try to put my best foot forward." Learning most of the people had gone out the front door was a relief, he said.

None of the patrons or employees were hurt in the fire, Segura said.

"It was definitely a slow day because of the holiday," Segura said, with one waiter, the kitchen staff and one of the owners at the restaurant at the time. "Thank God no one was hurt."

The fire prompted a wave of support from Villa Vittoria customers, who not only posted on Facebook but who also joined the owners at the scene to offer their condolences in person. And just as there are a lot of memories for customers, Segura said, there are a lot of memories for the families who own the restaurant as well.

"I grew up there," he said. Segura washed dishes in the kitchen, bused tables and more recently had worked as a waiter in the restaurant. His father was one of a group of five men who came to the United States together in 1988.

"They started out working as busboys" at Villa Vittoria, and about 10 years ago they bought the restaurant together from its former owner, Guiseppe Salvatore, Segura said.

"We have a lot of memories there," he said.

The extent of the damage was unclear Monday evening, Segura said. Firefighters opened holes in the roof to fight the fire, which began about 3:30 p.m., and were monitoring hot spots in the building in the evening. Segura said authorities told his father and the other owners they would be able to return today Tuesday to assess the damage and begin the process of seeing what could be salvaged.

"I have no idea how grave the damage might be," Segura said. "But we'll definitely be back. We're not going to let this stop us."

Firefighters battle the Villa Vittoria fire. Kenneth Seals photo