Buttegieg reposted a tweet from WSBT reporter Max Lewis, writing “Also, this happened.”

Firefighters were called to put out a fire at the unnamed warehouse on Sunday, and noticed the critters stuck on the roof. As they attempted to tame the blaze, they propped a pair of ladders on the exterior of the building.

The raccoons slowly crawled down and then jumped to the ground before scurrying off.

Most of the nearly 200 comments on the post praised rescue workers for showing compassion for the raccoons. One man was suspicious, however: “It’s pretty clear the raccoons had something to do with starting the fire. Have they been questioned?”

In a Facebook post, the South Bend Police Department admitted, “Some people would ask, ‘Why save the raccoons?”

“Life safety and property conservation are two priorities on a fire scene,” the team responded. “Thanks to our crews for taking a few minutes to let the raccoons escape!”

They also explained the unusual placement of the ladders: “It’s called ladder splicing—you’ve likely seen it in the mountaineering world when climbers traverse crevasses on glaciers.”

Fire crews returned the warehouse on Monday to put out the remains of the blaze but the building is a total loss, WSBT reports.

Buttegieg has garnered praise for helping right-end South Bend in his two terms as mayor: Completed in 2017, his $25 million Smart Streets plan reshaped downtown with pedestrian walkways, bike paths and wider two-way streets. And he facilitated turning the city’s old Studebaker factory into Building 84, a hub for tech startups, and

He also approved the River Lights, a 2015 public art installation that transformed the St. Joseph River into “a canvas of living art” in celebration of the city’s 150th birthday.

Buttegieg has also championed extending the South Shore Commuter Rail from downtown Chicago into the heart of South Bend, which could bring in some $400 million into the city over a decade.

“We’re nowhere near helping everyone and everywhere,” city councilman Tim Scott told Curbed in April. “But South Bend is a lot better off than we were eight years ago.”

It appears Mayor Pete hasn’t let the campaign trail keep him from checking in on city business: On Tuesday, he thanked firefighters for their swift action on the warehouse fire—and another blaze in town just a few days earlier.

“Thankful as always for the work our first responders do daily,” he tweeted.