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In the two weeks since Hurricane Sandy slammed the East Coast, people from all walks of life have been helping each other out, and that includes the military and first responders. A group of Marines recently helped a Queens volunteer fire department get back on its feet after its station was heavily damaged by the storm, Military.com reports.

The partnership came about as somewhat of an accident. The 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics had spent much of their day clearing away debris before stopping by the local fire department to see if they could eat lunch. They stumbled upon firefighters who had been so busy helping others, they had no time to clean up the damage to their own facilities.

"We originally were just looking for a place indoors to eat," Sgt. Justin Armstrong, a combat engineer with the team from Apple Valley, Minnesota, told the website. "The people offered their building to us to use, so we asked if there was a way we could repay them for their hospitality."

The volunteer department is located in the Breezy Point section of Queens, one of the hardest hit areas. The neighborhood was hit by fires in the immediate aftermath of the storm and 100 homes were destroyed, according to CBS.