Temperatures have been at a record low in the midwestern part of the United States this week. While this has been an annoyance for the average Americans, it has been devastating for homeless people who have been forced to find shelter in freezing temperatures. That’s why so many are applauding an anonymous Good Samaritan who just paid for hotel rooms for seventy homeless people in order to save them from the cold.

Though city officials in Chicago, Illinois urged homeless folks to stay in proper shelters and warming centers, a group of homeless people in the South Side decided to stay in their encampment of tents. Firefighters were called to their campsite on the second coldest day in Chicago history when a propane tank exploded after sitting too close to a space heater.

Though nobody was injured in the blast, police found over 100 propane tanks in the encampment, which prompted the fire department to issue a Level 1 Hazmat alert for hazardous materials.

“There was a significant amount of propane there,” Fire Chief Walter Schroeder explained. “And with that many cylinders, that’s like a bomb going off.”

Police had no choice but to confiscate the propane, leaving many of the homeless people without proper heating in –20ºF (–22ºC) temperatures. Officers called in the Salvation Army to help, but it was then that an unnamed Good Samaritan stepped in to save the day. The anonymous person paid for hotel rooms to house all 70 homeless people until the end of the week.

“Isn’t that wonderful?” a Salvation Army spokeswoman said. “At least they’re warm and they’re safe.”

We applaud this anonymous figure for stepping in to help homeless people when they needed it most! We need more people like this Good Samaritan in the world!