Quick Take:
The fire, which broke out around 3 a.m. on Monday, severely damaged the Sushi Garden restaurant in Capitola, and likely damaged adjacent units within the same building, according to Central Fire. The cause is still under investigation.
A fire that ignited at Sushi Garden in Capitola early Monday morning caused serious damage to the restaurant and damaged other units in the complex, said Central Fire Division Chief Nigel Miller. Fire investigators are still evaluating the extent of the damage. A post on the restaurant’s Instagram page said that its Capitola location will be closed until further notice.
According to a media release, Central Fire District of Santa Cruz County received a report of smoke and flames around 3 a.m. Monday at 820 Bay Ave., where the sushi restaurant has operated since 2009.
Upon arrival, crews found a “well-involved” structure fire consuming the inside and exterior of the restaurant. The building was unoccupied at the time, and there were no injuries or fatalities reported.
The site has two buildings. Central Fire Chief Jason Nee told Lookout that the blaze was restricted to the building that contained Sushi Garden.
While it was not yet clear Monday afternoon how badly Sushi Garden was damaged, Nee said he believes the impact of the blaze was significant. The restaurant suffered a partial roof collapse, according to Miller.
“It’s safe to say it’s going to be difficult to get that up and running anytime soon,” said Miller.
The fire while active early Monday morning. Credit: Via Gerry Jensen
The building stretches in multiple directions and holds multiple units across two stories. The fire reached the second story. Nee said that some of the building’s other units were “affected either with fire or smoke,” though it was unclear Monday afternoon how far the damage had spread beyond the sushi restaurant.
“We don’t have the full report, but there definitely were a lot of other units affected by this,” Miller said. Central Fire is working with the City of Capitola to determine which units are safe to inhabit.
Becky Wi, the daughter of the owners of Sushi Garden and the office manager for the family’s three restaurant locations, said her mother received a call from Capitola city officials around 4 a.m. on Monday. The Wi family were able to rush to the scene from their home in Watsonville. Despite the grim prognosis, Wi didn’t hesitate when asked if her family plans to rebuild the restaurant.
“Yes. We love our restaurants. We are definitely going to try to rebuild,” she said.
The Sushi Garden in Capitola was opened in 2009 by Bryant and Wendy Wi. It’s one of three locations in the county, with sister restaurants in Watsonville and Aptos. (A fourth location opened in Scotts Valley in 2015, and closed in 2022.) All of the restaurants offer an extensive menu of sushi, sashimi and nigiri, alongside Japanese dishes like ramen, udon and tempura-fried meat and vegetables.