Viral Photo Shows the Real Heroes of the Raging Wildfires in Tennessee

A touching photo has recently gone viral showing the firefighters on the front lines of the uncontrollable wildfires in Tennessee.

The Johnson City Professional Firefighters Association posted a photo of their firefighters getting some well-needed rest after spending over 30 hours in the field fighting the flames.

“They had probably been up probably 18 to 30 hours by then so they were approaching a level of exhaustion,” Fire Chief Mark Scott told Johnson City television station WJHL. “They had went to the point of having to sit down, we had some food and I guess as soon as we had the food it hit them and everybody was just kind of flaked out on the sidewalk.”

Firefighter Adam Scott Momberger shared the picture on Facebook, where it has been liked over 17,000 times and shared over 33,000 times. Many celebrities, including Ellen DeGeneres, have also shared the photo writing, “They’re my heroes.”

These firefighters are napping for the first time after 36 straight hours of rescuing people and animals in Tennessee. They’re my heroes.

A photo posted by Ellen (@theellenshow) on Dec 1, 2016 at 11:34am PST

All of the firefighters from the Johnson City Fire Department have returned home and are safe.

The Johnson City Fire Department was sent to help fight the wildfires in Gatlinburg, which have caused thousands to evacuate. The Tennessee wildfires have killed at least 13 people and have destroyed over 1,000 buildings.