ROCHESTER N.Y. – What was supposed to be a simple home cooked meal on a quiet Thursday afternoon for Tiara Mcbean and her niece—quickly became a cry for help.

“We noticed a young lady coming out of the house screaming and telling us that her house was on fire,” said Rochester resident Nelson Perez, who immediately ran over to help.

“I was in the house cooking just me and my niece and I noticed the smell in the house,” said Mcbean. “He took off his jacket and then he said go sit in my car and the three guys that came over here (to Mcbean’s house) they tried to put the fire out and they called the fire department.”

At the time, Perez and his team were working to make repairs to the roof of a home across the street. He says “When I went in I see that there was a lot of smoke, it was pretty bad; more smoke than fire.”

Rochester Firefighters also responded immediately after. The call came on the reports of a stove fire at 3:12 p.m. and when they arrived on scene Firefighter, Amon Hudson said the fire had appeared to be out.

He said, “There had been smoke damage and some extension damages that firefighters had to look into.”

Hudson also says it is not advised that a civilian run into a burning structure but it is good to see the community come together to help others in their time of need.

In the moment for Perez, that gut-wrenching plea pierced his heart, considering he is a father of six children.

“We did what we had to do for her, she was really happy,” said Perez.

Hudson tells Spectrum News that with no severe damage to the home, the fire could have been a lot worse.

Grateful for Perez’s quick action, Mcbean says “He definitely deserves some recognition for what he’s done.”