A man who teaches classes on handling fires, finds home caught in flames days before Christmas

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A day after a man went out in the cold to help those living without a home, his home caught on fire.

John Branch said he does not have insurance. Still, he's counting his blessings. He told ABC13 he's just thankful to be alive.

Flames almost destroyed his home Friday night.

"I saw fire truck, after fire truck, after fire truck," Branch said. "I Looked back and saw smoke and flames coming from the upstairs."

Branch said someone who lives with him noticed the fire that was started by the microwave and ran downstairs to tell him.

"Thought I was going to be getting some rest last night until I got a bang on the door, and I was up and at it," he said.

Branch had planned for a quiet Friday night.

On Thursday, he had been out in the cold with the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) all night, making sure those less fortunate had blankets to keep them warm and something to eat.

He's spent so much of his life helping others, providing shelter for people and even teaching classes on how to handle small fires.

He called some team members Friday night, who couldn't believe it.

"Shock," said Thearon Covington, Branch's friend and Vice President of Precinct 1 CERT. "You don't expect it to happen to one of us because we train for this."

They've watched Branch support others for years, now they are giving that support back.

"It's more emotional because it's so close to home," Covington said. "We look at John as a father figure. He founded this organization to be able to serve this community."

A GoFundMe has been created to help Branch rebuy the things he's lost.

"I don't have any insurance and just frankly can't afford it," he said. "I wasn't ready for this but it's a blessing. It's Christmas Day tomorrow, I can say that I'm blessed because I'm still here."

Throughout it all, he's kept a positive outlook.

"I'm a Christian believer and I believe that whatever doors close, he opens another one for me," Branch said.