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REGINA – Usually firefighters find themselves on rooftops in order to stop destruction. Monday morning, it was to instigate repairs.

While it’s not unusual for firefighters to respond to a woman in need – that is their job after all, there was something different about the call to 611 McIntosh Street.

First, there was no fire. Secondly, the firefighters were off duty.

“As you can see here, there are more than 20 guys helping out. Everyone was more than willing to help out in a heartbeat,” said Chris Prohar.

So why were they so eager to take on this chore on their day off?

Prohar explained, “The Muffin Lady, we call her. She brought muffins every Friday. She didn’t ask for anything in return, other than a hug.”

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Diane Duke has been bringing these firefighters at Fire Hall #4 muffins and cookies for the past 15 years.

“I got burnt as a young child by one of those round stoves in the middle of the house and I spent a lot of time going back and forth to the hospital and I met a fireman one time. He gave me a badge on my hand and I remember that ever since,” she said.

Duke became closer than friends with these men she now calls her “boys.”

“She’s family. We consider her family,” said Prohar.

And family helps each other through hard times – such as Duke’s husband’s battle with post-polio syndrome.

“They’ve been super supportive,” Duke said. “After the last few years he’s been failing and he’s suffered massive heart attacks and strokes.”

On Monday, they showed their support in another way: surprising her by replacing her aging shingles. Dynamic Roofing donated all the materials.

“She was definitely in shock and wasn’t expecting it. It was a nice feeling,” said Dallas Huber, the owner of Dynamic Roofing.

The firefighters donated their time – even a few showed up after battling an overnight fire.

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“We wanted to help this lady out who’s done so much for us. We work for the community so any time we can get together like this and lend a hand, it’s a wonderful thing to do,” said Jay Ott.

They expected nothing in return, just like The Muffin Lady expected nothing in return all these years. Well, nothing but a hug.