Not all heroes wear capes.

A Maryland college student risked it all to save a woman from her burning home.

Tré Williams usually takes the bus to and from Anne Arundel Community College but he decided to walk home to enjoy the nice weather. This change in plans ended up saving Gail Johnston. While enjoying his walk, the 20-year-old saw a house engulfed in flames. The young man knocked on the door, bravely entered the house and got the 80-year-old out safely.

“I didn’t really think much. I just, it was just an instinct,” Williams told WBAL TV. “So I jumped over the fence and I opened the door and saw that her arm was tangled up, so I just took her off of it, and that’s when she just kept saying, ‘What’s happening? What’s happening?’ I grabbed her, put her arm around my shoulder and I just kept saying, ‘We’ve got to go.'”

Johnston made it out of the Wednesday fire without any injuries thanks to the heroics of Williams.

After Johnston's grandchildren tracked Williams down on social media, they praised him for his courage and for being a good Samaritan.

The family's thankful their mom is still alive and that's in large part due to Williams, Johnston's daughter, Carleen Perez, told WBAL TV.

"I ran up and gave him a hug and said, 'Thank you,' and he said, 'You're welcome,' like it wasn't a big deal," Perez said. "It is a big deal, you know? You're really important! Just the fact that you took that initiative, you took that step to go into a burning building."

Like James Shaw Jr. from the Tennessee Waffle House shooting, Williams continues to say that he isn't a hero and was just doing the right thing.

"I don’t think I really did anything too spectacular. I think anyone in that situation would have done the same thing because any of us would want someone to help us if they needed us to," Williams said.

Anne Arundel County fire officials said that the fire was accidental and a mulch bed may have been ignited by smoking materials.

Gail Johnston

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