Homeless Man Rescues 10 Cats, 6 Dogs From Atlanta Shelter Fire

A homeless man turned into a savior after he rescued several cats and dogs trapped inside an animal shelter in Atlanta when a fire tore through the facility.

The incident happened on Dec. 18 at the W-Underdogs animal shelter. Keith Walker, 53, arrived at the shelter to pick up his pit bull, named Bravo, and noticed a fire in the shelter's kitchen. Gracie Hamlin, the founder of W-Underdogs, used to allow Bravo to stay at the shelter every night, CNN reported.

Though he was nervous, Walker rushed in to rescue the animals, which included six dogs and 10 cats.

"I was nervous as hell, I'm not going to lie. I was really scared to go in there with all that smoke. But God put me there to save those animals. If you love a dog, you can love anyone in the world. My dog is my best friend, and I wouldn't be here without him, so I knew I had to save all those other dogs," Walker told CNN.

The fire ravaged the shelter, leaving it uninhabitable, though it was not completely destroyed, Hamlin told the outlet, adding that the animals were moved to a new facility in Atlanta.

"Even the firefighters didn't want to handle the dogs. They called animal control, but Keith was already in the building pulling out the cats and dogs until they were all safe," she said.

Thanking Walker for saving her animals, Hamlin said,"I'm still in disbelief, because I've been around a fire and I know how fast they flare up. He is my hero."

A day after the incident, W-Underdogs said in a Facebook post that it was "an electrical fire" and the fire department managed to bring it under control.

To honor Walker for his heroic deed, a GoFundMe campaign was started in his name. The campaign already raised more than $27,000 as of Monday. Another GoFundMe page was created to raise money for W-Underdogs.

In another post on Monday, W-Underdogs said, "Rest assured we have Mr. Walker's best interests at heart, and are exploring how to best manage donations that have come in on his behalf. Please understand that the issues surrounding Mr. Walker’s homelessness are complex, and we need to proceed with care. Toward this end, we will be seeking an organization experienced in working with homeless and vulnerable populations to be his advocate and ensure that his needs, wishes, safety and well-being are taken into account."