A Lansing firefighter and his family lost their St. Johns home Tuesday after a fire started in their garage and spread into the house and a neighbor's garage.
- A fire that started in a Lansing firefighter's garage Tuesday spread into his St. Johns home and a neighbor's garage, displacing his family
- Brad Jorae, his wife and two daughters were left without a home; no injuries were reported
- The cause of the fire remains undetermined as the investigation continues
WATCH: Fire displaces Lansing firefighter's family in St. Johns
Brad Jorae was home with his two daughters when the fire broke out. His wife, Kristen, was driving back from Grand Rapids when she received the call.
"Hard to drive that far wondering what I was gonna get home to," Kristen said.
No injuries were reported. The family was displaced by the fire.
Brad Jorae said the response from the community came quickly.
"Just the outpouring of the community members, our friends, family, even people we didn't know were walking down to start asking how they can help us," Brad said.
Family members took the Joraes in immediately after the fire.
14-year-old Sophie Jorae said she was grateful for the support.
"I'm very grateful that we had a place to stay, like we had a home right away as soon as it happened," Sophie said.
Brad, who said he had spent his career responding to others in crisis, reflected on the experience from a new perspective.
"I never understood what happened after the fire went out," he said.
St. Johns Fire Chief Kevin Douglas said the investigation is ongoing and the cause of the fire remains undetermined.
The family said their focus now is on rebuilding and expressing gratitude to those who helped.
"We wanna make sure that everybody's been thanked and let everybody know how grateful we are for everything," Brad said.
A GoFundMe organized for the family can be found here.
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