Guardian angels come in the most unusual forms in times when all hope seems lost. For a family in Arizona, that angel was a homeless man who was camping nearby when flames engulfed their home. His quick thinking and extraordinary courage saved the family and their two dogs from an untimely demise.

Fire is a devastating force. It can destroy everything in its path within minutes. One night it came for this family from Arizona

Image credits: CBS News

Life can change overnight. You wake up, have breakfast, go to work, come back home to spend time with your family and then blissfully fall asleep thinking tomorrow will be the same. But then bad luck creeps in the form of faulty wiring or a carelessly discarded cigarette and your whole life goes up in flames.

Life changed for Claudia Jimenez, a single mom, who woke up one night to see her apartment on fire. She quickly realized that her family and two dogs were trapped in the burning building.

Image credits: CBS News

For a mother, there is nothing scarier than seeing her children in danger and not being able to do anything. Luckily, they had a guardian angel watching over them

Image credits: CBS News

“I opened my window and started yelling ‘Please, someone help me’,” Claudia told CBS News. It must’ve been the most terrifying moment of her life, not knowing whether someone would hear her desperate pleas for help. But she had to try; she couldn’t afford to lose hope with lives of her family at stake.

Local homeless man wasted no time and rushed to the desperate mother’s aid

Image credits: CBS News

Help did come from an unexpected place. Joe Hollins was camping nearby with his wife when he heard Claudia’s scream. Without any hesitation, he rushed to help her. Such acts of selfless courage are what keeps faith in humanity alive.

With the fire raging and firefighters still on their way there, two strangers chose to trust each other. Courageous Joe told Claudia to throw her daughters down, reassuring her “I’m going to catch them. I am going to catch them.” And he kept his promise – soon enough, two little girls, aged two and eight, and two family dogs were delivered to safety.

Thanks to a stranger’s bravery, the family remained unharmed and today Claudia is able to hug her daughters

Image credits: CBS News

After Joe had rescued Claudia’s daughters, he told her to jump as well. “I got you, don’t worry,” he reassured her. It took some coaxing out, but eventually she did make that leap and Joe once again kept his promise and caught her. He could’ve gotten hurt, but he didn’t think about that, he only thought about helping the family. A true hero!

Image credits: CBS News

Image credits: CBS News

Fire destroyed the apartment building, but it was no match for Joe Hollins, a local homeless man who saved the Jimenez family’s lives. “To me, he was an angel. Because of him we’re here, we’re alive and my daughters are safe,” grateful Claudia said. With their family intact, they can rebuild what was lost with the help of GoFundMe donations.

Joe’s good deed didn’t go unnoticed. People were moved by his courage and created a GiveSendGo to help him get off the streets. Turns out, Joe has a lot of angels watching over him (and donating).

“Anyone would do the same”: this humble hero believes in human kindness

Image credits: CBS News

Joe Hollins thinks he’s no hero at all and that anyone in his shoes would’ve done the same for the family. Despite what life has thrown at him, Joe chooses to remain kind and compassionate and to help others without asking anything in return.

Image credits: CBS News

No one is safe from the treacherous nature of fire. But are we completely useless against it or are there ways to prepare ourselves in case of an emergency? The University of Utah Health prepared a podcast episode on fire safety. Check it out here.

The first tip to remember is ‘stop, drop and roll’, a classic one many of us practiced in kindergarten. Secondly, keep the bedroom doors closed at night – in case of emergency, the doors would serve as a protective barrier and opening the window wouldn’t cause a draft that would pull fire and heat inside your room. Thirdly, practice fire drills. They can be organized as a fun family activity for kids and could save their lives as the kids’ muscle memory would kick in during a fight-or-flight event.

Image credits: CBS News

What do you think of Joe’s act of bravery? Do you think you could’ve done the same? And if you were in Claudia’s stead, would you be able to trust a stranger?

Facebook comments were full of positive comments

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