'I was really scared': Heroic homeless man saves animals from burning building

Keith Walker saved this dog and a few others and is now being hailed a hero. Photo / Instagram

A homeless man has been hailed a hero after he saved a number of animals from a burning building.

Keith Walker of Atlanta, Georgia, was on his way to take his pit bull, Bravo, for a walk when he saw the shelter his dog sleeps in was on fire.

Walker had noticed a kitchen fire had engulfed the youth centre, which was looking after a number of animals.

With the fire moving quickly into other areas, the 53-year-old homeless man decided to jump into action, sprinting into the building.

"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," Walker, who has been homeless since he was just 13, told CNN.

"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."

Keith Walker saved this dog and a few others and is now being hailed a hero. Photo / Instagram

One by one he got six dogs and 10 cats out of the burning building which was eventually destroyed.

W-Underdogs youth founder Grace Hamlin said Walker is a hero, calling him a guardian angel.

"He is my guardian angel," she said.

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

This was what remained of one of the rooms. Photo / Instagram

The animals may have burned alive in cages had Walker not saved the day. Photo / Instagram

Hamlin had been letting Walker's dog, Bravo, sleep at the facility at night to keep him warm and safe.

But she never envisioned he would one day save her entire flock.

"I can't thank him enough for saving my animals," Hamlin said, posting a photo of Walker with an emotional caption to W-Underdogs' Instagram.

"I'm still in disbelief, because I've been around a fire and I know how fast they flare up. He is my hero."

The shelter started up a Gofundme for Walker, which has since raised $80,000.