Two Air Force airmen from F.E. Warren Air Force Base patrolling a missile field in rural western Nebraska were at the right place at the right time Thursday when they played a role in putting a house fire out and getting the family inside to safety.

In a statement shared on the Kimball County, Nebraska Sheriff's Office Facebook page, Airman First Class Christopher Horton and A1C Christian Reid of the 790th Missile Security Forces Squadron were on patrol near Dix, at about 9:30 p.m.Thursday when they noticed a house was on fire.

The two airmen alerted a neighbor, who called authorities. The family of four living in the house was unaware that it was on fire. Not long after the airmen were alerted, they made their way out of their house with their three pets.

When the first firefighter made it to the scene, Horton and Reid helped by controlling a hydrant as a firefighter operated a hose.

As more firefighters made it onto the scene, the airmen helped comfort the family and gave the family $40 to help with losses.

Dix is roughly 30 miles east of the Wyoming border at Pine Bluffs. The 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren Air Force base consists of a 9,600 square mile nuclear missile complex.

Airmen like Horton and Reid guard them.

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