South Florida man called hero for helping explosion victims

Hollywood man who set himself on fire in 2004 being called hero after marathon explosions

A Hollywood man is being called a hero for helping wounded victims of bombings at the Boston Marathon.

BOSTON ā€“ It's become an iconic photo from Boston: a man in a cowboy hat pushing a young man in a wheelchair to safety.

Carlos Arredondo, the man in the photo, lives in Hollywood, Fla.

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In 2004, he made South Florida headlines when he doused himself and a van with gasoline after he got the news that his son, Lance Corporal Alexander Arredondo, was killed in Iraq. He later said it had been an accident.

The 52-year-old was at the Boston Marathon Tuesday to support a runner who ran in honor of his son. After the blast, Arredondo rushed to help one of the victims and was overwhelmed by what he saw.Ā 

"I just concentrated on that young man and tied him up and talked to him," Arredondo told reporters after the photo was taken. "I let him know that an ambulance is on the way, that he's OK ... then I managed to get him all the way to the ambulance. There were so many people laying next to me, begging me for help, begging me for help ... I can only help one at a time."