A 70-year-old Air Force veteran from Salem, Illinois is being hailed as a hero after he saved his neighbors from a house fire this week.

Marshall Helm had been walking his granddaughter to the bus stop early in the morning when the bus driver drew his attention to the smoke and flames emanating from the house next door.

Helm ran over to the endangered home and threw open the garage door only to find flames climbing up one of the building walls. Despite how the Vietnam veteran has been battling cancer, he did not hesitate to charge past the flames and into the house so he could make sure his neighbors were safe.

Gary and Kathy Benjamin had been sleeping upstairs when they awoke to hear Helm shouting about the fire. Although they were confused by the commotion, they managed to run into the hallway and escape with Helm through the back door just as the flames were engulfing the garage door where he had come in only a minute before.

Thanks to Helm's quick actions, the Benjamins suffered only minor smoke inhalation-and even though they lost their home in the fire, they are simply grateful to Helm for saving their lives.

"Lifesaver-lifesaver is all I can say," Mr. Benjamin told KMOV. His wife added, "Hero, he's our angel."

If you would like to help the Benjamins recover from the fire, you can donate to the GoFundMe campaign launched by their son Nicholas.

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