Amazon driver's quick-thinking and kindness saves elderly man from deadly house fire

An Amazon driver is being hailed a hero after saving an elderly man trapped inside his burning Portage home in Michigan. Cedric Figures was going about his day delivering a package to a home on Currier Drive in Portage on August 18 when he heard the man yelling for help. He was shocked to see flames coming through the man's kitchen window. According to the city's Department of Public Safety (DPS), he reportedly leaped into action and "ran to the residence" with a fire extinguisher he found outside, as reported by PEOPLE.

He managed to extinguish the fire and quickly help the elderly gentleman out of his home safely, according to Portage DPS. Fire crew Engine 1211 arrived as they left the building. The press release noted that first responders were only alerted to the blaze after it "activated the elderly man's fire alarm." Figures told News Channel 3, "Put the good energy out and you'll receive the same, but don't do it for something in return. Just do it because you know it's right and good will come back to you." Portage DPS praised Figures' "act of kindness" and was grateful for his bravery and quick-thinking.

In a similar heroic act, one man went to great lengths to save his mother from a fire quite literally! The man named Jermaine sprang into action and scaled up a 19-story building when he heard his mother was trapped in her apartment while a fire raged through the building in 2019. Jermaine, who was 35 years old at the time, rushed to his mother's apartment building in Philadelphia after his sister called him from Holden Tower and told him that their mother was stuck in the building. The fire broke out at the Holden Tower on Holden Street around 9:28 p.m. on July 18, 2019.

"I actually climbed up because they were saying she was trapped in the apartment," Jermaine told WPVI, adding that officials would not let him into the building's front entrance. So what did he do? Jermaine, who had hurt his hip earlier that day, decided to climb up 15 stories to save his mother! "They said the elevators are not working," he said, adding that they suggested he could just take the stairs. "They were like, 'We can't let you in.' I took it upon myself because that's my mother. There are no limits. That's my mother. The first cop said the whole building was on fire. My sister was out there, my mother not out there. I didn't know what else to do but go up and get her."

The heroic son ascended the fenced-in balconies of the building, equipped with wire cutters. Jermaine described the process as he grabbed a gate, at the top of the gate, there was a ledge. Then he could step on top of the ledge and reach up to the other gate, continuing to climb his way up. Finally, he located his mother Sheila, aged 65, and her boyfriend, who were safe on a balcony. Fortunately for the pair, the flames hadn't reached their floor and they reassured him that the fire had been contained.