BRICK -- Authorities have determined that a July Fourth fire at a well-known Italian restaurant in Brick was accidental.

Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, said a fire at Villa Vittoria restaurant on Hooper Avenue was caused by unattended cooking on a stove in the kitchen.

He said the property damage is "extensive," and insurance adjusters and building contractors will decide if any of the building is salvageable or if it will need to be completely rebuilt.

The co-owners of the restaurant, Dago Segura and Nelson Monroy, told the Asbury Park Press in a video interview that they intend to rebuild the famed restaurant.

"We will make it better," Segura said. "We have good insurance that will take care of everything. We are going to (build a restaurant) that's even better than before. And we're going to keep our American dream, that's why we came here and worked hard."

Police had responded to the restaurant shortly around 3:30 p.m. after receiving a report of a structure fire. Roads in the area were closed as firefighters from all four township fire companies worked to extinguish the blaze.

Photos from the scene show a large plume of smoke emanating from the restaurant, and firefighters shooting water at hot spots through holes in the roof.

A resident who lives nearby, Justin Greco, told NJ Advance Media that he came to see what was happening after hearing sirens.

"There was lots of smoke," Greco said. "You could see flames through the smoke."

He said he saw employees gathered outside the restaurant, but didn't see any customers.

The cause of the fire was determined after investigators with the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office's Arson Investigation Unit, the Brick Bureau of Fire Prevention and the Brick Police Department conducted a scene examination on Tuesday morning.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.