Southern California is battling several active wildfires, and it’s impossible to miss unless you’re living under a rock. One of the fires, the Eaton Fire, came close to The Terraces at Park Marino in Alta Dena, California. The senior living facility housed over 500 seniors who lost their homes when the fire scorched the building.

Seeing an opportunity to help, Letty Ochoa, the general manager for Pasadena Transit, stepped in to save the seniors staged in a 7-11 parking lot as they escaped the fire. She said bus drivers were happy to help, and were eager to get the seniors to safety.

“You know, I told them all, ‘You don’t have to do this,” she told CBS. “They didn’t even think about it. They all said they wanted to do it. These guys are heroes — true heroes. Because they’re not trained for that. We’re trained to move the city around but not this.”

Adan Moreira, the maintenance manager for the transit company, said he returned home from his shift and saw the flames near the facility. He called a few more bus drivers who helped him move four more buses to the area.

“It was horrible,” he said. “A lot of black smoke and fire embers hitting the bus. There was a bush in front of the 7-11 that caught fire in front of our eyes.”

Another bus driver said he was just doing his duty

Erasmo Rodriguez was the first bus driver to volunteer his services, and he refused to accept the “hero” title after moving 500 seniors.

“We were just boarding the buses, putting as many people as we could,” he told the outlet. “It did not matter where they sat on the ground or anywhere; leave your walker or wheelchair behind, fit as many people as we can.”

He said he was doing what any good person would do to help those in need.

“It needs to get done,” he said. “Someone’s gotta do it.”