Wearing a teal winter coat and matching gloves, 10-year-old Kate Hill trudged through several inches of snow to deliver a tray of hot cocoa to firefighters who were just about finished battling a stubborn attic fire across the street.

It was a snow day, so the Niles Adventist School fourth grader had been watching the scene unfold through a window in the comfort of her family’s home on North 4th Street in Niles.

She said she thought the firefighters looked cold and wanted to do something about it.

She made eight cups of hot chocolate and her 4-year-old sister, Claire, added marshmallows.

“It was cold outside and I thought they might want to warm up,” Kate said.

Firefighters were touched by the young girl’s kindness.

“I’ve had adults before bring out coffee, but never a child,” said Niles Township Firefighter Paul Rainwater. “It was very thoughtful and welcome, that’s for sure.”

Niles firefighter Rory Iwaniuk sat in the snow and chatted with Kate as he enjoyed his cup of cocoa.

“You don’t see that very often with kids nowadays,” he said. “We really appreciated it. It was a very nice gesture.”