CLEVELAND -- A local woman is being hailed a hero for helping save five people after flames and smoke erupted at a Cleveland home Monday.

Woman Helps Family Escape Fire

The fire broke out Monday morning at a home on Cleveland's southeast side at East 75th Street and Union Avenue, and a father and his four children were trapped on a second-floor porch.

Good Samaritan Norma Johnson gets emotional when she thinks about the children on the porch; the only way to escape their burning home was the jump.

Johnson was passing by the house when she heard a man screaming for help. Adrenalin must have taken over because she had to pass the red and orange flames shooting out of the window to get to them.

"I'm like, 'Toss me the kids,' and one by one, he started with the littlest one," said Johnson.

Johnson caught all four children dropped from the porch, wrapped the two smallest in her coat, and then convinced their father to jump, too.

Johnson was treated at University Hospitals Monday for shortness of breath and a splitting headache.

"I was scared, so scared, but my main concern was to make sure the children were safe," Johnson said.

Johnson is a hero in the eyes of the children's mother, Joy Johnson.

"Thank you for risking your life and helping my family. I don't know your name, but thank you," she said.

Norma Johnson said, "I'm not a hero, just a mom and a wife. But I'm very grateful I was able to be there to help them."

The father and children were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center for smoke inhalation. The family's dog was killed in the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.