Why This Firefighter Cracked Up While Rescuing This Grandma

When Alberta, Canada was suffering from severe flooding, volunteer firefighters were called in across the region to help rescue civilians from the flooding. And while all the firemen and women who came out to help were extremely brave during this natural disaster, one fireman stood out for the most adorable reason.

Shawn Wiebe became nothing short of a viral sensation when this image of him rescuing a little old woman spread across the internet. The picture shows him holding the woman in his arms and beaming at her with the most brilliantly white smile you’ve ever seen. And suddenly, Canada had a handsome new grandma-saving hero to admire!

But the story behind the now infamous picture is almost as amazing as the picture itself.

Wiebe had been called into action that day to help save as many people from the flooding as possible. When he saw this older woman, he noticed that her rain boots were saturated with water, and he decided it would be more efficient to carry her rather than to make her slog across the flood.

At first, Wiebe said that the grandma was skeptical, unsure if Wiebe could hold her weight. He assured her jokingly that he was “big and strong” and could handle the job – which, all joking aside, he totally is – before picking her up in his arms.

Flabbergasted, Wiebe said the woman was completely in shock at being so easily lifted up. Wiebe said she turned to him and said something that made him absolutely crack up.

“So I scooped her up and as I’m walking she said, ‘Oh, the last time I was carried like this was on my wedding night!'” Wiebe said in an interview with Breakfast Television Toronto.

There you have it, folks, the thing that provoked that infectious smile taking over the internet was one adorable old woman sharing a detail about her wedding night. That is the best thing I could have imagined her saying in that moment! No wonder Shawn cracked up laughing.

It must have been nice after a day of stress and panic to hear something like this so unexpectedly. Luckily, at this moment of hilarity, Calgary Sun photographer Lyle Aspinall was there to snap the photo we’ve all been admiring.

When the photo started spreading across the internet, Shawn didn’t even know about his growing fame. It wasn’t until a friend sent him a message on Facebook, asking if he was the firefighter in the popular picture, that Shawn knew what was happening.

Since the photo went viral, however, Shawn has not let internet fame go to his head. He seems very down-to-earth and kind, and continues to work hard as a volunteer firefighter for the Alberta region as the area recovers from that terrible flooding. His friends and family, on the other hand, are extremely proud of his work and new-found viral fame, taking full advantage of the limelight to brag to everyone that they know Shawn Wiebe!

Oh, and to the disappointment of many, Mr. Wiebe is happily married with kids! Sorry, everyone.