A homeless man is praised as a hero after risking his life to save several dogs and cats from a fire in an animal shelter.
Keith Walker stormed into the W-Underdogs shelter after a fire broke out on Dec. 18, the facility said in a Facebook post.
“Tonight we thank our guardian angels. The homeless man who ran into our burning house and rescued our animals,” he said. “Our animals are safe and thanks to the incredible response from the community, everyone is settled and safely warm and safe.”
According to the facility, the owner was not picking up donations when they called that the shelter was on fire. Atlanta firefighters said a homeless man rushed to the scene “and helped bring the animals to safety,” W-Underdogs wrote.
“And once it becomes clear that the house was uninhabitable, volunteers are mobilized to move the animals safely to the new facility. In the midst of our accident, we rest tonight with nothing but gratitude for the community that constantly supports us,” he said.
The facility said it often provides food and shelter for Walker’s dog, Bravo. It organizes efforts to help Walker.
A GoFundMe set up raised more than $ 36,000 as of Tuesday morning.
“We have received a flood of requests about how people can help Mr. Keith Walker, the hero who saved our animals from the fire. Rest assured that we are in the best interest of Mr. Walker, and we are exploring how to make donations. the best to manage on his behalf, ‘the facility said in a Facebook post on Monday.
Walker told CNN he was “nervous” about running into the burning building, but he knew he had to save the trapped animals.
“I was really scared to go in there with all the smoke. But God put me there to save those animals,” he said. “If you love a dog, you can love everyone in the world. My dog is my best friend, and I would not be here without him, so I knew I had to save all the other dogs.”
Officials considered the fire an electric fire, W-Underdogs said in a statement. The shelter was left uninhabitable, but all the animals were taken to a new facility.
