SIDNEY — An early Saturday morning fire on Chestnut Avenue has been ruled to be accidental, according to the Sidney Department of Fire and Emergency Services Fire Investigation Unit.

At 4:29 a.m. on Saturday, July 17, Sidney firefighters were dispatched on a report of a structure fire at 750 Chestnut Ave. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered a small fire on the front porch.

All occupants of the residence had safely evacuated and fire crews initiated a fire attack to extinguish the fire, said a SidneyFire press release. The occupants had controlled the fire with fire extinguishers prior the arrival of fire personnel.

The fire caused minimal damage to the structure and was contained to the front porch and a small portion of the basement. No occupants or fire personnel were injured during the event.

The damage to the property, which is owned by Dan and Elizabeth Christian, is estimated at $10,000 to the structure and $5,000 to the contents. The family was not displaced by the fire incident.

The Sidney Fire Investigation Unit ruled the fire as accidental, with improper discarded smoking materials as the likely ignition source.