Heroic homeless man saves woman and her two kids from apartment fire: "To me, he was an angel"
A homeless man is being hailed as a hero after saving a family from an apartment fire. A humble Joe Hollins told CBS News anyone would have done the same. He was quick to act when he heard a woman scream for help from her second-floor apartment unit window in Phoenix. The fire broke out just after 4 a.m. near 22nd Avenue and Indian School Road. Claudia Jimenez and her two daughters, aged 8 and 1, were asleep when flames engulfed her apartment. “I went to the front door and opened it and the flames were already covering my front door. The whole stairs were on fire already,” Jimenez said. She began screaming for help and fortunately for her Hollins and his wife, who were camped near Jiminez's apartment, heard the screams.
A homeless Black man in Phoenix rescued a mother, a 1-year-old baby, an 8-year-old child, and their 2 dogs who were trapped in a burning building. Joe Hollins was camped out near the apartment when he heard their cries for help.
— Fifty Shades of Whey (@davenewworld_2) May 21, 2023
Cable news should be interviewing this hero. pic.twitter.com/czJR4FUxa2
The heroic man ran to help, per PEOPLE. Once he reached the apartment and was right under the window, he told Jiminez to drop her daughters down to him from the second floor. He promised he would catch them. And that's not all, he also rescued her two dogs. “I actually tried to climb up the side of the window and grab ‘em as far as I could. Grab one, set her down, grab another, set down. Get the dog, then she didn’t want to come at first, scared she would fall. Then I said, ‘I got you, don’t worry,’” said Hollins.
Although the apartment and all their belongings were destroyed in the fire, the family is grateful to have escaped with their lives. They are now safe and unharmed thanks to the bravery of Hollins. "I will forever be thankful to him, you know? Like I said, to me, he was an angel," Jiminez shared through tears. "Because of him we're here, we're alive, and my daughters are safe."
His name is Joe Hollins. He’s homeless. He’s jobless. And he’s an American hero. https://t.co/khR101Rfj8
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) May 21, 2023
A GoFundMe has also been set up for Jimenez to help her with emergency expenses. She wrote, "I had to break my back window and toss my 2 daughters off the second floor to an amazing stranger who caught them & I proceeded to jump also!!! I am extremely blessed for him and everyone who is able to help!" When asked if he felt like a hero, Hollins was quick to rebuff the notion and said he was just happy to help in any way he could. “Anybody would do it,” Hollins said, adding he did what he had to do and was in the right place at the right time.