SULTAN — Ron Skorka was preparing to go bed when his boss texted him. Included in the text was an image of Vick’s Burger Shack, where Skorka had worked for the last five years.
It showed smoke billowing out one window. Vick’s Burger Shack, a restaurant in Sultan for 12 years, was on fire.
“Of course, I’m freaking out at home,” Skorka said Wednesday. “I’m with my girlfriend, and I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, what do I do? My job is burning right now.’”
Around 11:30 p.m. Aug. 8, Sky Valley Fire responded to reports of a fire at Vick’s.
After firefighters extinguished the fire, the exterior remained intact. Inside the restaurant, the fire caused significant damage. The owners estimate the fire caused $80,000 to $100,000 in damage. The equipment on its own is around $50,000, said Jennifer Vick, daughter of one of the owners.
The cause of the fire is unknown; however, the owners believe it was an equipment malfunction. The restuarant is owned by Marc, Kevin, Jeffrey and Deborah Vick, according to state records.
“It’d be really easy to just fall on the ground and be crying and just be like, ‘It’s done. It’s over,’” Jennifer Vick said Wednesday. “I think the only reason why we haven’t done that is because the community is literally carrying us right now.”
The building was uninsured at the time of the fire.
In addition to Skorka, Ryan, who declined to give his last name, is one of seven employees who are suddenly out of work.
Ryan had just gotten home from seeing a movie when his friend, an employee at the neighboring restaurant, sent a picture of Vick’s on fire.
“I got a phone call like 20 minutes after I got inside; ‘your work’s on fire,’” he said.
Ryan said he jogged all the way there, arriving just after the firefighters did.
Before the fire, the restaurant had just purchased an air conditioning unit and was having one of its busiest days of the summer.
“It was a busy for Friday,” Vick said. “It was more of a Saturday kind of a day.”
Located directly along U.S. 2, Vick’s Burger Shack has become a popular stop for both locals and travelers. Customers come from all over the state, Vick said.
Since the fire, they have received an outpouring of support from the community.
“Within minutes, people were sharing all the way to Monroe that the shack burnt down, and everybody was just offering words of condolences and encouragement,” she said. “It lifts us up, to be like, ‘Wow, people actually cared about what we’re doing here.’ I mean, it’s just a business, but that’s our livelihood.”
The family created a GoFundMe to help cover rebuilding costs. As of 2 p.m. Thursday, more than $19,000 had been raised.
“We’re just blown away that so many people care and are there, but it’s a long road, and it’s a lot of work,” Vick said. “It takes time and money that I don’t think any of us have.”
While the owners plan to rebuild Vick’s, the timeline remains uncertain.
Before they opened the restaurant in 2013, The Vick family lived in California, where their father, Marc Vick, worked as a computer programmer.
“My dad has always been the cook of the family. He didn’t have any proper training, but he’s good at what he does,” Vick said. “He’s always been told, ‘You should open a restaurant.’”
When he was laid off in the 2008 market crash, the family decided it was time to pursue that dream. After three years of saving every extra dollar, they purchased the property in 2011, the site for the future Vick’s Burger Shack.
For the first five years, the Vicks did all the work themselves, from renovations to serving customers. More than a decade later, the family feels at home in Sultan.
“Goes to show you don’t gotta grow up somewhere to really make it home,” Skorka said.
Praise for the restaurant includes a UK “social media influencer” who had their “first American burger” at Vick’s and locals whose order tabs are permanently in the system. Skorka said they hate not being able to serve their regulars, like one man who visits every Monday through Friday at 2 p.m. for a strawberry sundae.
Before rebuilding can begin, the owners will have to spend $600 for a permit to assess the damage. Jennifer Vick said.
“A lot of people volunteered to help clean the shack once we get that permit,” Skorka said. “We got a lot of people in the community who just want to come help. It’s really encouraging.”
Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com; X: @JennaMillikan
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