Flames rip through Strip Mall

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Williamsburg firefighters, along with crews from several jurisdictions, spent all of Tuesday morning battling flames at the Williamsburg Shopping Center on Richmond Road.

Investigators believe the fire may have started inside "Sal's By Victor" pizza shop just after 1 a.m. "A passerby spotted the smoke and called 911," Williamsburg Fire Department spokesperson Eric Stone told WAVY.com. Stone said crews arrived on the scene about four minutes after the initial call.

Crews found heavy smoke at the scene. Lt. Barry Kopczynski and his team were the first to enter the building. "We had no fire conditions inside, [but] I knew I had fire in the area above our head in the void area," Kopczynski explained, "it was weakening the metal trusses, and a collapse was evident that it was going to happen, so the best thing to do was to pull the crews out."

Crews fought the flames from the outside-in, in what's known as a defensive stance. Firefighters poured gallons of water on the flames from ladders towering over the roof. Kopczynski said a portion of the roof finally did collapse.

No one was injured in the collapse, however, two firefighters were hurt during other duties and transported to the hospital. One suffered a leg injury; the other had chest pains, Kopczynski said. Both have since been released from the hospital.

It took fire crews nearly five hours to get the flames under control, Stone said.

"Wow," Thomas Snyder said to the intense flames. "That's the largest it's been in quite a while," his brother Thomas told WAVY.com.

While no dollar amount has been assessed to the damage, the biggest loss, witnesses said was for Victor Minichiello, owner of Sal's for the past 25 years.

"The building has been here more than 30 years; this is a shame...I can't believe it. It was like a nightmare to me. I can't believe it." Minichiello said. "I feel like I lost a part of myself, a part of me."

"This is demoralizing, Victor used to send us pizza on camping trips for scouts," Michael Mylkavich said. "He's a very great guy."

Members of the local Fire Marshals Office waited to begin their investigation as fire crews continued to put out hot spots.

Minichiello said he thought the cause may be electrical because employees had recently cleaned vent hoods in the past few weeks. "We just closed at 11:30 last night," he said.

Firefighters from departments in and around Williamsburg fought with all their might to save Sal's. When they realized the inevitable, they fought to save the surrounding businesses.

Several stores remained closed adjacent to Sal's while other stores, like the Bloom supermarket, opened on time.

No official cause had been released, however, as the Fire Marshal digs for clues, the man from Italy who calls Williamsburg home has a message for all of his faithful friends and customers. "I want to say thank you to everybody and I'm going to be here. I'm going to rebuild. I'm not going to give up. I'm not a quitter," Minichiello said. "I'm glad no one was hurt, but I'm just worried about my employees."

A fund has been opened at the Chesapeake Bank for the employees of "Sal's by Victor." If you'd like to help, you may donate at any Chesapeake Bank. Just say you'd like to donate to the Sal's by Victor fund.