Man rescues a woman and two dogs from Colorado Springs House fire

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - On Sunday, March 24, a fire broke out in two homes in the Banning-Lewis Ranch area.

While a crowd gathered, one man was driving towards the smoke when he pulled over, got out of his car, and ran to the houses on fire to make sure no one was inside. He says he quickly realized that one woman, a dog, and two cats were trapped inside the home.

"I didn't stop to analyze like, Oh my God, this is scary ... my heart was just like, get in there and save the animals," Quentain Charles-Bilyan said.

Charles-Bilyan was on the scene and said there was one other man, who he didn't know, who helped him get the woman and dogs out of their home on fire.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department says that running into a burning building is a risky move. They recommend knocking on the door of a house on fire and guiding anyone inside out with your voice instead while waiting for first responders to arrive.

"We are trained to go inside a home with our [gear] on. We have, you know, our breathing apparatus. We have measures to make, make sure that we are safe and being able to get us inside the home and do what we train for," Ashley Franco, a Public Information Officer with the Colorado Springs Fire Department, said.

She said the reason they have this protocol is to prevent smoke inhalation and in case of a "rescuer" getting trapped themselves in the burning house.

The Colorado Springs Fire Department says that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.