SHERIDAN, Ark. – Some Central Arkansas fire fighters went above and beyond the call of duty by rescuing a family’s Christmas. A fire destroyed their home just a week before Christmas. They still had gifts under the tree thanks to those first responders.

As little hands tear through the gift wrap and take out the tissue paper, the Liatsos kids reveal the gifts that almost didn’t come. Just a week before Christmas Bethany Liatsos got the call her home was on fire. When she got to the house she could see flames shooting out of the windows.

“You look at all the work and the blood and sweat and tears that you’ve put into something then you watch it go up in flames but we look at the bigger picture here,” Liatsos said.

That bigger picture looked almost as if Santa himself had come to save Christmas. The only difference, the suits were tan and yellow and the sleigh was a big red fire engine.

“I looked up and I saw firefighters running out of our house with our kids Christmas presents,” Liatsos said.

As she watched the first responders work she saw hope rising from the ashes.

“We saw God that day,” Liatsos said.

While the place they called home looks a little different, this family isn’t focused on what they don’t have but instead on what they do. They have each other and of course some pretty cool gifts.

“Just to see the smiles of our kids faces on Christmas morning is what we’re really excited about,” Liatsos said.

The community has also stepped up to help this family get back on their feet. They’ve donated clothes, money and more. The family said they can’t express how thankful they are to everyone who has helped out.