NORTH MIAMI, Fla. --
A North Miami man is credited with saving the lives of his neighbors after a fire erupted in their apartment building overnight.
Firefighters said the fire started in an empty unit at the building on Northeast 111th Street at about 3 a.m. Monday.
Charles Joseph said he smelled smoke and went outside and saw the flames in an apartment two units down from his.
"When you see smoke, you can't play games with that," Joseph said. "You have to wake everyone up as fast as you can. It's important that nobody gets hurt."
Joseph said he went door to door, waking up his neighbors.
NBC 6's Gray Hall reported that about eight families live in the building that caught fire. The Red Cross is assisting the displaced residents.
Neighbors said that Joseph saved their lives.
"He's a hero," resident Barbara Williams said. "I've never spoken to him because he's hardly at home but I love him to death because he did save us."
No one was injured in the fire. Investigators said arson is to blame.
"This was a fire that was intentionally set," a fire spokesman said.
Copyright 2007 by NBC6.net. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
