By Jeanne Moos

(CNN) - This is something you don't see every day.

A macho pair of firefighters in ball gowns putting out a fire.

The video is burning up the internet.

If you think fighting a car fire could be a drag, imagine fighting a car fire in drag.

[Reporter]: "Did you realize you were fighting a fire in a dress?"

"It kind of dawned on me when we were in the middle of fighting it," said firefighter Ted Aubart.

And when did it dawn on Ben Terhaar?

"I remember looking over to my right and seeing people with cell phones up to their face. And I thought, Oh my gosh," he said.

But the firefighters didn't have much choice. The Sedan, Minnesota Volunteer Fire Department had a float in the St. Patrick's Day parade in a nearby town.

The firefighters dressed up to promote a beauty pageant they hold every year as a fundraiser. But when a pickup truck caught fire, they leaped into action.

Even if it meant fighting not just the fire, but falling straps on Aubart's gown.

Terhaar chose to wear a strapless dress, accessorized with a hose.

Fire Chief Barry Bouwman has a name for his men.

"I call 'em my girls now," he said.

They may look like the RuPauls of firefighters, but they managed to put out the blaze in just a couple of minutes.

The chief points out that though they lacked normal protective gear, the firefighters played it safe and stayed focused.

"These guys would stand out there in underwear and wouldn't care. They're that way," said Chief Bouwman.

Though some angles were less than flattering, one burning question remains.

Gentlemen, who were you wearing?

"I'm pretty sure they got 'em from JC Penney," said Chief Bouwman.

CNN