Firefighters, police respond to east-end fire (video, update)

4:30 p.m. update:

The Sault Ste. Marie Police Service issued the following release:

On the July 18, 2016, at approximately 9:15 a.m. the Sault Ste. Marie Police responded to assist the Sault Ste. Marie Fire Service in relation to a garage fire on Courtney Crescent.

Fire Fighters were able to extinguish the fire but the garage has been destroyed and there appears to be heat damage to a residence.

This incident is being handled by the Sault Ste. Marie Fire Service and not requiring any further Police involvement.

Original story below:

The cause of a fire at a home in the city's east end is under investigation.

Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services were called to the scene of the fire at 359 Courtney Crescent shortly after 9 a.m., Platoon Chief Joe May told SooToday.

The detached garage of the home was destroyed by the flames, with some additional, minor damage done to the exteriors of at least two surrounding homes, May said.

There were no injuries to the home's residents, May said.

Sault Police Services closed off Courtney Crescent at Amber Street while fire crews got the blaze under control.

"It was my son's first day at his new job today, he started work at 7 O'clock and he had to leave," Debbie Krmpotich told SooToday while holding her 5-week-old granddaughter in her arms outside the home.

Krmpotich's son and daughter-in-law, the home's owners, were inside the house with Sault Fire Services crews inspecting damage.

"They can't live in it because of the smoke damage, and I can see his fence is gone."

"They had a girl who was just about to move in downstairs because they've got it fixed up just beautiful for a suite down there, and the girl began moving in on Friday and she had all her brand new furniture stored in that garage," Krmpotich said.

"All of her stuff is gone, that's just terrible, and all the baby's stuff is gone."

"The main thing is everyone is safe, you can replace material things but you can't replace lives, the most important thing is they're safe," Krmpotich said.

Video (above) courtesy loyal SooToday reader Emmy Schaffer.