Man deemed 'hero' after he rescues people, animals from burning condo

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) -- Firefighters are still trying to determine the cause of a massive three-alarm fire at the Quail Springs Condominiums Monday afternoon.

The complex is on Pennsylvania, just north of Memorial.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze fairly quickly, but said the flames were leaping out of the roof of one of the buildings when they arrived.

"It was burning so intensely that we had to fight it from the exterior and that's how we approached it initially. And then they were able to make an interior attack once they got it knocked down just a little bit," said Chief Benny Fulkerson with the Oklahoma City Fire Department.

Amazingly, there were only a couple of minor injuries.

An elderly woman who lives in a condo below the ones that caught fire had to be treated for burns to her feet after stepping on some burning debris that fell from above.

"She was elderly and the fire was getting too close where they had no choice but to grab her and drag her," said Marsha Lay, who lives at the condos.

And many of the residents were saying one man in particular was a hero, after kicking in doors and getting people out of the building.

"He was kicking down the doors and making people get out. He went back in to make sure animals were out, everything. The man put his life in jeopardy and those people owe him their life," said Lay.

Tyler Maness had just finished his workout nearby at Gold's Gym when he saw the huge plume of smoke.

He went straight to it.

"Hero, not at all, I don't like that word," said Maness. "It was very scary. You know you don't know what to do. All you hear is people screaming there's people inside and there's dogs inside and you're just trying to get everything out as quickly as you can."

Maness saved three people and three dogs.

"I couldn't live with myself if I didn't do anything. I mean it's other people's lives at stake, you know," said Maness.

Maness says this is actually the third time in a year and a half that he's rescued people from a burning building.

He had to be treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, but is expected to be just fine.

See photos of amazing animal rescues: