It was all his own courage, and a body may say, his kindness, in a way, ma’am; he wouldn’t leave the house till every one else was out before him. As he came down the great stair-case at last, after Mrs. Rochester had flung herself from the battlements, there was a great crash – all fell. He was taken out from under the ruins, alive, but sadly hurt…He is now helpless, indeed – blind and a cripple.
– Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre, Chapter 36. Jane is told by the inn owner that after Bertha Mason set fire to Thornfield, Mr. Rochester bravely saved the servants from the burning house. He tried to save Bertha, but she jumped from the roof to her death. Rochester lost his sight and one of his hands in the fire, Jane hears.