A homeless man from Atlanta is being hailed a hero after he sprinted into action to save the animals inside an animal shelter that went up in flames.
Keith Walker, 53, was on his way to take his pit bull, Bravo, for a walk when he saw the shelter that houses his beloved dog engulfed in flames, CNN reported.
Walker selflessly jumped into the burning building and was able to rescue all six dogs and 10 cats that were there, the New York Post reported. Though he was nervous to go into the building, Walker told CNN he believed God put him there to save the animals.
Grace Hamlin, founder of W-Underdogs, whose mission is to empower youth through service to animals and communities, told CNN that Walker is her “guardian angel.”
The Dec. 18 fire damaged the shelter's kitchen mostly, making it uninhabitable, according to its owner.
The organization was one week away from moving to its new Atlanta location when the fire broke out.
Hamlin said on W-Undergogs Instagram how grateful she was for Walker's heroic actions. "I can't thank him enough for saving my animals. I'm still in disbelief, because I've been around a fire and I know how fast they flare up. He is my hero."
Walker, who has been homeless since he was 13, calls Bravo his forever friend.
“If you love a dog, you can love anyone in the world," he said. "My dog is my best friend, and I wouldn't be here without him, so I knew I had to save all those other dogs.”
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