Officials: Long Beach pizzeria, Italian market damaged by fire

Two Long Beach businesses — an Italian market and a tattoo shop — may face demolition after a fierce early-morning fire Wednesday, officials said.

The fire started at Sorrento’s, located on 255 W. Park Ave, and spread next door to Abyss Fine Art & Tattoo Studio, said Nassau County Assistant Chief Fire Marshal Michael Uttaro. It took about 150 firefighters to contain the blaze, he said.

The Long Beach Fire Department, plus 13 mutual aid departments, brought the blaze at Sorrento's, an Italian market and restaurant, under control in about 2½ hours, Uttaro said. No injuries were reported from the fire, which was called in at about 4:27 a.m.

The county fire marshal's office is investigating the cause.

Long Beach City Councilwoman Elizabeth Treston said residents in the area are "devastated by the destruction."

An Instagram post linked to Sorrento's website Wednesday sounded a worried but optimistic tone about what's next.

"We don’t know what the future holds but hope to come back stronger," the post said.

On its website, the restaurant bills itself as "a slice of Italy in Long Beach," and a place with homespun charm.

"We are a family-owned and operated business," the restaurant says on the website, "and one of our primary goals is to ensure that each of our customers feels like part of the family too!"

The owner of Abyss and Sorrento's could not be immediately reached for comment.

The cause of the fire will be investigated by the county fire marshals.