In California, a woman is recovering in hospital after a stranger and two deputies rescued her from her burning home.

One of her heroes, Nas Mohamed, was working as an Uber Eats driver when he rushed to her aid at her home in Vista, a city in San Diego County. Mohamed’s early morning movements are normally peaceful, but in the early hours of Friday he smelled smoke and followed his nose to the fire.

“As soon as I got there, I started knocking on the door, knocking on the side,” Mohamed told NBC 7. “And then I looked behind me. I saw a man and he said to me, “I live here, I live here.” I said, “Is there anyone inside the house?” He said, “Yes, my wife is inside with the two cats.” »

Nas said he heard the man’s wife screaming inside the mobile home.

“She was literally next to the fire,” Mohamed said. “The fire surrounded him. And I entered. I started looking for her and kept saying, “Talk to me!” Talk to me!’ That was the worst, because I was breathing, you know, while I was talking to him.”

Mohamed said he eventually found her and tried to get her to safety. But the women took her hands off her after she shouted that her cats were still trapped.

“And it was a nightmare because I couldn’t find the window because of the smoke and the light from my phone wasn’t enough,” he said.

First responders arrived just in time to find them and help Mohamed get her out the window and even save one of his cats.

Without protective equipment, Mohamed was injured himself. Watching video Friday afternoon of a sheriff’s deputy pulling him to safety, then gently placing him on the ground, gasping for air, he said the only feeling that outweighed his pain was his relief at hearing the voice of the woman.

“First thing, I started hearing her talk, and I was like, ‘She’s OK,’” Mohamed said. “At the same time, you know, my eyes are burning from the smoke, I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. I felt like it was a relief, you know, more than ‘a pain, I know, I’ll be fine soon.

Mohamed said the woman expressed gratitude and wanted to know his name.

“She said to me: ‘What’s your name? What’s your name?'” Mohamed said. “Three, four times, you know, and I can’t breathe. I can’t speak. Every time I speak I started coughing and black things coming out of my mouth. . So finally, I told her my name, and she held my hand, and she said, “You saved my life.” I told him, “God saved us.” »

Mohamed does not have any medical training that trained him at this time.

“As a man, you hear a woman – an old woman – screaming, burning, you know? » said Mohamed. “I can’t stay out.”

First responders airlifted the woman to the hospital, but have not yet provided an update on her condition. Mohamed also spent the night in hospital, recovering from burns and smoke inhalation.

Looking back on his morning, he said he was grateful to have been in the right place at the right time to save a life.

“You don’t need to hurt yourself or sacrifice yourself if you think it’s a losing game, but go for it, if you want to help someone, a person, someone who has blood like you , go ahead,” Mohamed said. . “Why not break a window or break a door to help people?”

Mohamed, who is an interior painter and does Uber Eats deliveries on the side, spoke to NBC 7 on Friday after being awake for 25 hours. When asked what his plans were for the rest of the day, he said he would take a nap and then take the rest of the day off.

San Diego Sheriff’s Lt. Matt Carpenter said the cause of the fire is still under investigation, but he suspects the woman may have left some food on the stove. He said with the holidays and many cuisines coming up, it’s especially important to stay vigilant.

The Sheriff’s Department released a statement praising Mohamed and his deputies’ role in the rescue.

“I am incredibly proud of every deputy who answered the call,” Carpenter said in the release. “I also want to express my deepest gratitude to the brave community member who risked their safety to help a stranger. His courage and quick reaction played a vital role in saving a life.