An Ashville, Florida painter is being hailed as a Good Samaritan after braving a fire to save an elderly resident.

Joshua was painting a neighboring house when he caught whiff of what he says smelled like a tire fire.

“We thought somebody was maybe burning trash,” Joshua told a local TV news station.

But when he saw two other people rushing in the direction of the smell, Joshua knew something more dangerous was amiss. He dropped his painting supplies, telling the rest of the crew, “I’ll be right back.”

The house up the street was pouring smoke from a quickly crumbling roof as fire consumed the structure at alarming speed.

That’s when Joshua saw an old man shambling down the stairs.

“He didn’t look like he knew where he was,” Joshua recounted. “He didn’t realize the house was on fire.”

With time of the essence, Joshua battered the door open and helped pull the elderly man to safety.

“The flames were so hot,” Joshua says. “He was hot to the touch.”

The floors were starting to catch fire, but Joshua put his shirt over his face and called out asking if anyone else was left in the house. Nobody answered.

While no humans were inside, a golden retriever is still missing. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

The elderly man who was rescued is living with Alzheimer’s, which explains his confused behavior. If Joshua wasn’t there, the man might not have found his way out.

The elderly man’s daughter sent Joshua a heartfelt note expressing their gratitude.

“Joshua is a hero,” the note reads in part. “We will never forget his selflessness and could never repay what he’s done for us.”

The hero’s work isn’t over yet: Next Joshua will assist in helping clean up the damage wrought by recent hurricanes in Florida.

“I just want to help everybody out,” Joshua says. “That’s kind of who I am.”

Spoken like a true painter.