The fire department of Baytown, Texas is receiving viral attention around the globe this week, but not because of a rousing victory over an out-of-control blaze. Instead, the firefighters in Baytown have earned worldwide recognition for a random act of kindness that was captured in a series of cellphone photographs.

According to a report from KHOU.com, a news website serving the Houston area, the firefighters and EMTs of Baytown’s Station 4 were the first responders when a 65-year-old Air Force veteran named John McCormick had a heart attack while mowing his lawn. McCormick had a long history of health struggles, including a quadruple bypass heart surgery many years ago. When his heart attack struck last Tuesday, McCormick stumbled inside his house and collapsed. His family called for immediate medical attention.

Two ambulances and one fire engine responded to the call. The EMTs quickly performed CPR and got McCormick’s heart beating again, and then rushed him to the hospital. The firefighters, meanwhile, followed the ambulances to the hospital, but then decided to make a detour on their way back to Station 4.

Indeed, instead of heading back to home base, the fire engine made a beeline back to McCormick’s house, where the crew proceeded to take turns mowing the lawn and finishing the yard work that McCormick never got a chance to finish. A neighbor snapped a few pictures and posted them online, where they quickly drew viral attention as proof of an incredibly generous random act of kindness.

McCormick’s family members were surprised and grateful for what the firefighters did, praising the men for their compassion, character, honor, and selflessness. The firefighters, meanwhile, were modest about their decision to finish McCormick’s lawn, saying that it was a natural impulse to “help someone out in the worst time in their life.” According to several different crew members, the firefighters were not only all in agreement that helping McCormick and his family was the right thing to do, but they were also all arguing over who would get to push the lawnmower first.

Unfortunately, McCormick passed away two days after the random act of kindness, and will be buried next week with military honors. However, his family has been getting condolence calls from people as far away as New Zealand, all thanks to the Station 4 fire team and their selfless act that went viral.