NANJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The mailbox of a fire department in east China's Jiangsu Province was overflowing with special parcels after a fireman was unexpectedly called upon to rescue packages in an express vehicle.

The parcels were snacks sent by netizens across the country who heard the story of He Xiao, the fireman, who saved about 700 parcels, including one for himself, after putting out a fire in an express vehicle on a highway earlier in August.

"I bought some snacks from an online shop as a gift for myself and my colleagues," he said. "I never expected to get them in advance while out on a job."

Some netizens started to send snacks to the fire department where he works in Jiangsu's Changzhou City as the story went viral on the Internet to show their respect for him and his colleagues. "I hope that you will be safe whenever you are working," a netizen wrote on her gift for He. "Thanks a lot for your hard work," another netizen posted online.

In total He received more than 30 boxes of snacks weighing over 100 kg. "My colleagues and I are so moved by the kindness of the netizens, but please stop sending us gifts because we have received so many snacks," he said.

He donated some of the snacks to a welfare organization with his colleagues. "We want to share the warmness of the netizens with more people," he said.

More than 600 firefighters have died on duty since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, according to the Ministry of Public Security (MPS).

"The Bravest," the first film dedicated to Chinese firefighters, has become a hit movie this summer, grossing a total of 1.5 billion yuan (211 million U.S. dollars) on the Chinese mainland since its Aug. 1 debut, according to the China Movie Data Information Network.