Mastic Beach pizza place gutted by fire, officials say

A late-night fire gutted a Mastic Beach pizza place on Sunday. There were no injuries, officials said.

The fire at the Valentina Brick Oven restaurant on Mastic Road was reported at 10:26 p.m.

Suffolk County fire officials said firefighters from Mastic, Mastic Beach, Brookhaven, East Moriches, Center Moriches and Yaphank responded, as did crews from Mastic Ambulance and Mastic Beach Ambulance.

Photos from the scene showed firefighters from Brookhaven on the roof of the structure, while other photos showed the interior of the place gutted.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Suffolk County Arson Squad and the Mastic Beach Village fire marshal’s office, but police said preliminary indications are that the cause “appears to be non-criminal.”

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”