The July 4 fire at the Villa Vittoria restaurant in Brick has been ruled accidental, the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed Tuesday.
After a complete scene examination was conducted Tuesday morning by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Arson Investigation Unit, the Brick Bureau of Fire Prevention and the Brick Police Department, the origin of the Villa Vittoria fire was located on the commercial kitchen range top and the cause of the fire was determined to be accidental due to unattended cooking, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the prosecutor’s office.
Damage to the property is “extensive,” Della Fave said, and insurance adjusters and building contractors will decide if any part of the building can be salvaged or if a total rebuild will be necessary.
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The owners of the restaurant said they plan on reopening eventually.
“Starting out as busboys, to waiters, to owners. Villa Vittoria has a piece of our hearts,” the four owners said in a statement. “With that being said, we feel very strongly on getting Villa Vittoria back up and running So many memories have been created at the Villa Vittoria and we want to make sure more can happen.”