"Fire, get out now," Don Nowell said.

Those are the four words Nowell yelled to his neighbors after he saw smoke coming from his apartment building.

"Once it broke through the roof, I started knocking on doors here to get everyone out of this building," he said.

And those few words could be what saved them.

"Once we got outside the in the parking lot, it just ignited," Nowell said.

Delta Township Firefighters got a call around 3 p.m. Wednesday of fire at the Waverly Gardens Apartment complex.

"When we initially arrived, we had smoke and flames coming out of the roof," Deputy Chief Duane Haring said.

Haring sent his men inside, but the flames were too much.

"When it vented through the roof, it started rolling on the firefighters inside," he said. "I made the decision to get them out so we could regroup."

With the help of Lansing Township and the city of Lansing, fire crews got the fire under control hours later, but not before the west side of the building was destroyed.

"Everything I worked for is gone," Teanna French said.

Some apartments are destroyed, but firefighters say there is some good news.

"The firefighters made a coordinated effort and we saved half of the building," Haring said. "We stopped it."

Another big save?

Firefighters reunited tenants with their furry friends.

"That's all I really wanted, my cats," French said. "Everything else, yes it was a big loss and I worked hard for it, but it's replaceable."

It's the irreplaceable-- the nine people he saved--that matters to Nowell.

So does he feel like a hero?

"No I just did what you're supposed to do to help your neighbors," he said.

Forty-three adults and 10 children are left homeless because of the fire.

The Red Cross has set up a temporary shelter for them at Waverly High School. They are accepting monetary donations for the families.

You can call the Red Cross at 517-702-3317