Letter Carrier Dixie Manns was recently delivering mail to a Michigan City, IN, apartment building occupied by mostly older residents.
When she walked in, she heard alarms going off and saw a customer standing in his doorway.
The man said his apartment was on fire and Manns urged him to leave, but he was unable to walk quickly.
The Postal Service employee safely picked up the customer, carried him to safety, called 911 and proceeded to bang on doors and yell for people to get out.
Firefighters soon arrived to battle the blaze, by which point Manns had ensured that around 40 residents were out of harm’s way.
“I knew those people would be in trouble if I didn’t help,” she said later. “I was just doing what I felt anyone should do.”