Assignment # 9 (B)

Then flames came along his side of the street and entered his house. In a paroxysm of terrifeid strengthm he freed himself and ran down the alleys of Nobori-cho, hemmed in by the fire he had said would never come. He began at once to behave like an old man; two months later his hair was white. (p34 Hiroshima)

In this passage, I could not get the meaning even though the author discribes well this situation. I just assume that why does this man' hair became white color.