At the scene of a fire, a firefighter kneels down to place an oxygen mask on a pigeon.

The firefighter did not simply walk past the bird, which was standing weakly as if it had inhaled smoke.

This scene was captured at a fire site in Oakland, California, in the United States.

The firefighter, who had been dispatched to extinguish a vehicle fire, said that the pigeon, struggling to breathe, approached him first as if asking for help.

After receiving oxygen through a small animal oxygen mask, the pigeon caught its breath and flew away.

The warm actions of the firefighters have drawn a flood of applause on social media.

(Source: Instagram @oaklandfirefighters)