California is still struggling to deal with the wildfire that has wreaked havoc on the state, killing 42 people and displacing thousands. Though the fire itself is incredibly tragic, it has brought out the best in some people as they are putting their own lives on the line to help others.

The city of Paradise has arguably been hit the hardest by the wildfire, and while all of it’s inhabitants were fleeing the flames, garbageman Dane Ray Cummings was running towards them. Though Dane’s route manager told him to evacuate the area immediately, he could not help but think of all the elderly people on his route who might need help getting out of their homes.

Dane decided to drive his truck through the blaze to see if anyone on his route still needed help evacuating. As he drove, he spotted 93 year-old Margaret Newsum stranded on her porch all alone. Margaret was once a backup singer for Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra, but she had suffered a broken back recently and was not strong enough to evacuate on her own. With no family nearby, she found herself stranded.

Luckily, Dane showed up to help her!

“I went out and was standing on the front porch when this great, big, green monster drove up, and my dear friend was emptying the garbage, and I have had him as my worker — I call him my private worker because he’s so great — and he said, ‘You’re not staying here. You’ve got to get out of here. Why are you still here?'” Margaret recalled.

Dane was worried at first that giving Margaret a ride would get him fired, as it went against company policy. However, he ended up deciding that saving a woman’s life was far more important than any policy could be.

As they drove, Margaret told Dane stories about her life, telling him about how she witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.

“I was to be married, and my future husband was in the Marine Corps,” she said. “All I remember is the first bomb that hit one of the ships, and the apartment that he rented for me was right at the bay. And I went out to see what it was, and this Japanese plane came over. He was so low that I could see the pilot.”

She also talked about her time with Sinatra and Davis.

“The Rat Pack. Wonderful, wonderful men,” she said. “The singers did the picking out. So, the next thing I know, I was in an interviewing room, and here sits Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin. All three of them were sitting there, and they said, ‘We are so thrilled to have you working for us.'”

Thanks to Dane’s bravery, Margaret is now safe! Find out more about this in the video below!