Metro

12 injured in fire at legendary Little Italy restaurant

A legendary Little Italy restaurant went up in flames early Saturday and about a dozen people were hurt as they fled the building on Mulberry Street.

The 7:40 a.m. blaze seriously damaged Angelo’s, which has been in business since 1902.

The building has five floors of apartments above the restaurant.

The eatery’s customers have included former President Ronald Reagan, LA Laker Kobe Bryant and musician Steven Van Zandt.

Co-owner Teresa Aprea, along with her husband Rino, also appeared on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.”

She vowed Angelo’s “will be back stronger than we ever were.’’

Rino said the fire began in an alley behind the restaurant.

He vowed to stand by his employees.

“We will take care of them,’’ he said. “They’ve worked with us from 21 to 37 years.” He expects to reopen in four to six months.

The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

It’s not yet clear whether the building is uninhabitable, and a resident said tenants were being allowed in only to pick up some of their belongings. It was not clear when they’ll be able to return for good.

Most of the injuries appeared minor, fire officials said.

Additional reporting by Jennifer Bain and Olga Ginzburg