Heartwarming / The Towering Inferno

• Jernigan saves a kitten.
• Carlos the bartender being an all-around nice guy to everyone. From actively assisting in the rescue to making ice cream sundaes for the children. Which makes his death when the water tanks are blown up much sadder.
• The respect that develops between O'Halloran and Roberts during the crisis. Notably: O'Halloran trusted Roberts to let him set explosives on his own and to help get him through a fire-ridden area to the Promenade Room. Particularly their last exchange, where Roberts—having experienced the entire disaster first-hand—wants to design safer buildings while O'Halloran is willing to give his own input. Their exchange ends with a respectful "so long, Architect".
• Behind the scenes: There were apparently some tension between some of the cast members, especially between the two main leads. The Paparazzi expected there would be a blowup between Steve McQueen and Paul Newman. Not only does it not happen, but the blooper reel shows both actors got along well on-set and had fun.