Man in Santa Ana being called hero after saving his family from burning home

A man is being called a hero by firefighters after he saved his family from their burning home in Santa Ana on Friday morning.

The Orange County Fire Authority said around 1:30 a.m., the man's wife woke up to the smell of smoke inside their home on South Linda Way and quickly woke him up. When the man opened the door, the heat quickly pushed him back.

The man escaped out of a window onto the patio cover before jumping nearly 10 feet onto the grass. The man grabbed a ladder and helped his wife safely climb down. The man retrieved two more ladders and climbed them several times to help his 11-year-old son and an elderly woman to safety.

The OCFA said the man was heard yelling "Open the window, son! Jump!" in Spanish as he pounded on the window to wake up his son.

Fire officials said everyone slept with their bedroom doors closed, which allowed them to have more time to escape. The family's pet dog also managed to escape the home without any injuries.

Crews extinguished the blaze and transported one of the adults to a hospital for evaluation. Costa Mesa Fire, Fountain Valley Fire, Santa Ana police and Southern California Red Cross also assisted.