When Albert Madrid, 25, saw flames bursting from a mobile home in Highland, California, he was just thinking about the family sleeping inside. Shortly after midnight on March 9, Madrid and his girlfriend returned to the trailer park when the pair saw a house on fire. Madrid raced back home in his vehicle in an attempt to safely get everyone out. When firefighters arrived on the scene, four people, including two young girls aged 4 and 7, were safely evacuated. Cal Fire reported that the four suffered mild to moderate injuries. Tragically, Madrid didn’t make it home. Friends and family are still in shock days after the incident, mourning the life of a man who was willing to sacrifice on behalf of others.

“He was only 25 years old but he was the bravest man I have ever known,” said Madrid’s father, according to KTLA-TV. “He is my hero, my son, a brother, and a grandchild.”

Madrid’s grieving mom, Irene Sainteclaire, is heartbroken over her son’s death, but takes comfort in knowing his actions saved an entire family.

“He saved the little girls, the 4-year-old, the 7-year-old, the teenager and the grandpa,” Sainteclaire said. “He got them out. They were all asleep.”

“He was a hero,” Sainteclaire said. “That family came up to me and hugged me and told me, ‘We want to thank you, because your son saved the little kids and my dad.’”

Madrid’s sister Melissa Enriquez wants her brother to be remembered forever for his heroic, selfless actions.

“My brother chose to go in and help, and I want him to be remembered for that,” she said. “He is a good man.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help with funeral expenses during such a heartbreaking time.

The reason for the fire is still under investigation, Cal Fire reported.

https://www.facebook.com/calfirebdu/photos/a.1665594143678308/2340711342833248/?type=3

“He will be loved and missed by his friends and family,” Robert Madrid wrote about his son. “I am so proud of my son, my hero.”