Video credit: Bill Wheeler
Firefighters have put out a blaze that heavily damaged the Villa Vittoria restaurant in Brick Monday, but fortunately, officials said, there were no injuries related to the incident.
Firefighters were called to the restaurant, located near the intersection of Hooper Avenue and Mantoloking Road, at about 3:30 p.m., said Kevin Batzel, chief of the Brick Township Bureau of Fire Safety.
“There were no patrons inside at the time,” said Batzel.
Restaurant staff were inside, but were alerted to the fire by alarms and escaped safely,Batzel said.
The restaurant suffered “heavy fire damage,” he said, primarily in the kitchen and the second level area on top of the kitchen. There was “heavy smoke and water damage throughout the dining room and bar area,” he added.
The fire, which drew a response from all of Brick’s fire companies, as well as the Mantoloking, Silverton and Point Pleasant companies, remains under investigation. Investigators from the bureau, Brick police department and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office are tasked with determining the cause.
