Homeless Man Notices Fire inside Shelter and Rushes into the Building to Save Animals

A homeless man notices a fire outbreak in a shelter and rushes to rescue the animals trapped in the burning building.

Atlanta-based Keith Walker, 53, has never seen better days in his life and has been homeless since he was 13 years old. With nobody to call family, he saw a faithful companion in his Pitbull, Bravo, whom he calls his “best friend.”

Walker believed that a person who loved a dog would love anybody in this world. However, this life policy soon led him to risk his own life to save a handful of innocent lives trapped in a burning building.

Walker has done several odd jobs for an animal shelter where he often lodged his pup. The shelter’s owner was kind and let Walker leave his dog to stay there every night.

On the afternoon of December 18, Atlanta’s W-Underdog’s owner Gracie Hamlin was out picking up supply donations when she received a petrifying call that her house and the shelter were in flames.

As a twist of fate, Hamlin had planned to move the animals in her shelter to a new facility very soon, but the news of the fire outbreak startled her.

That same afternoon, Walker was headed towards the facility to pick up his pup for a walk. As he neared the spot, he saw the fire outbreak and realized it was time to give back to the facility by risking his own life.

An electrical fire sparked in the animal shelter’s kitchen, and several dogs and cats were trapped in the building, unable to escape the blazing embers.

Walker realized that a few other animals were stranded there crying for help apart from his pet and decided to spring into action.

He was terrified, and although he was nervous about stepping into the building, he decided not to wait and put those innocent lives at risk.

As for W-Underdogs, the shelter’s owner had an update on the animals rescued from the burning building.

He asked another homeless man named Mike to ring 911, then he raced into the burning building without further thought despite knowing it was risky.

Walker battled the smoke and heat to reach the petrified animals stuck inside. He thought he was destined to be there at the time to rescue them.

Meanwhile, the fire department called animal control as they couldn’t handle the dogs themselves. However, Walker was already inside the building.

He pulled out six dogs and ten cats, bringing every single one of them to safety. When the news of Walker’s bravery reached Hamlin’s ears, she couldn’t believe it.

“I’m still in disbelief because I’ve been around a fire, and I know how fast they flare up,” she told CNN, adding:

“I can’t thank him enough for saving my animals...He is my hero.”

Eventually, the news of Walker’s bravery made headlines, and he became the talk of the town. Soon, a fundraising campaign was set up for him in honor of his heroic and painstaking actions.

Several organizations stepped forward to help Walker become a self-sufficient resident and help raise funds for him.

As for W-Underdogs, the shelter’s owner had an update on the animals rescued from the burning building. Hamlin posted to Facebook that the rescued animals were moved to a new facility as the burnt building became uninhabitable, although it wasn’t destroyed.

“While the new facility is not exactly “move-in ready” we were able to move the animals safely into the new facility for the night,” she recounted, adding that Walker was her guardian angel.

If you liked this story, here’s how a homeless man interrupts on time to save a scared boy from child snatchers.

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