Last month, first responders from the Richburg, South Carolina fire department happened upon a tiny hummingbird. They weren’t sure where the little creature came from or how it ended up in their engine bay. It was motionless lying there. They thought it was dead. Thankfully, it showed up in the right place to get help.

The dear bird was still breathing. These heroes dropped everything to try and save her. “We mixed up a little sugar water and put it in a small cap for it to drink out of,” T. Melton, the station’s assistant chief, told The Dodo. “It took some coaxing, but it finally started  drinking it.”

Posted by Richburg Fire-Rescue on Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Their feathered patient seemed to understand they were there to help her. Bit by bit, the hummingbird regained her strength until that incredible moment arrived. She flew away.

“It was finally able to stand on its own,” Melton said. “We kept giving it water, and it finally  flew off.”

Posted by Richburg Fire-Rescue on Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Seeing their precious charge fly off into the clouds was all the thanks her rescuers needed. “The job is hard enough as it is, [so] being able to help something like the hummingbird and seeing it bounce back means the world to us. It was a nice feeling for everyone,” Melton said. “You always want to help when someone needs it, regardless of it being a person or an animal. You just don’t want to see anything suffer.”

Posted by Richburg Fire-Rescue on Wednesday, August 29, 2018