One of Great American Ball Park's smokestacks was saved by a band of Great American Heroes

It started with what seemed to be a comical mishap in the top of the sixth during Friday's Giants-Reds game: With San Francisco's Gregor Blanco at the plate, fireworks shot out of one of Great American Ball Park's two smokestacks behind center field, a celebration usually reserved for 1) home runs and 2) the home team. But as the Great Eye of Internet Snark readied itself for an assault, the situation turned out to be pretty scary -- the fireworks were set off as a precaution, because the smokestack had caught on fire:

According to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon, the Reds said a failed propane valve caused the fire, and the alert employee saved things from possibly being much worse by letting go of the fireworks.

"Quite frankly, the actions of the attendant really saved us from a disaster," said Tim O'Connell, the Reds' vice president of ballpark operations.

The fire burned for another inning or so, until -- wait, up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a flying Village Person? No, it's the Cincinnati Fire Department, and they're the heroes we deserve:

Casually scaling a few stories to put out a fire, all in a day's work. After making quick work of the blaze, Cincinnati's bravest got a standing ovation from a rightfully grateful crowd. Their biggest fan, though, might be Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton, who was forced to stand frighteningly close to the whole thing and was none too pleased about it.

"Whenever it started doing the fire thing, it was shaking and everything like it was going to blow up or something," Hamilton said. "I wanted no part of that."

Don't worry, Billy. If anyone could outrun a fire, our money's on you.