Boston man saves family by placing old mattress next to burning home

A brave Boston man saved a mother and her two kids from a heavy fire when he provided a soft landing for the family trapped on the second floor of their home.

Clidfod Saint Jean, a next-door neighbor to the duplex, dragged an old mattress of his from against a nearby fence to right under the victims before they took a leap of faith, according to local reports.

“I tell them ‘don’t be scared. The fire, the fire will hurt you guys,’” Saint Jean recalled to the Boston Globe.

First, a 5-year-old girl was dropped out the window by her mother and caught by Saint Jean, the newspaper reported. Then a teenage boy and his mother jumped and landed right on the mattress to escape the fire that started shortly after midnight Saturday.

Boston Fire Department spokesperson Brian Alkins told WCVB it was quick thinking of Saint Jean to realize he had a mattress that could be used.

“Neighbors helping neighbors makes our job a lot easier,” the fire official said.

Overall, five adults and four children evacuated the duplex, WCVB reported.

Saint Jean, an Uber driver in his 40s, has remained humble through the well-deserved praise, even insisting he’s no hero.

“When that happens everyone is supposed to get scared, but when you see fire, people in the fire, you know what the fire means [for them],” he told the Globe. “I saved a life, but I don’t feel like a hero.”