Watch as firefighter catches child 'dropped' from burning building
Well this is terrifying.
When a group of firefighters were called out to a house fire in Georgia, they began their job.
Speaking to local media, assistant fire chief Jeff Crump described the scene. Approaching the apartments, he could hear the screams of the residents inside.
“Are they burning? Are they on fire? Are these viable victims that we can save?” he thought.
Watch: 12 injured in massive apartment blaze – https://t.co/ldlN5Ufkvy #DeKalb pic.twitter.com/od0bYoPWYj
— John Spink (@johnjspink) 3 January 2018
He spotted three adults and two babies trapped in a third floor apartment. “We went into what we call rescue mode at that time.”
Before even attaching their hoses to fire hydrants, firefighters rescued a wheelchair bound woman. Parents started jumping from windows, throwing babies as young as one-month-old.
“We were catching babies like a football,” a firefighter at the scene said. “Literally.”
Startling footage captured of the daring rescue on a body camera has us on the edge of our seats. The apartment building was surrounded by flames, as the firefighters scrambled to get the remaining occupants out of the building.
With the team of firefighters surrounding the building, everyone holds their breath as a young child is rescued from a third floor balcony.
Captain Scott Stroup can be seen reaching for the child as its literally thrown from the top of a ladder.
For a brief, intense, second the child is airborne as they hurtle towards the ground.
But, luckily, Captain Stroup catches them and rushes to safety, leaving them on the ground to examine if they are okay.
Eight children and four adults were taken to hospitals with minor injuries, and about 79 people have been left without a home.
An eye-witness to the fire said that the screams of those trapped in the building was what stuck with her:
“It was crazy,” she said. “I see people jumping off their balconies and (I hear) screams.
“And the screams were what really got me because it just sounded like people were getting hurt in the fire.”
Be warned, the video is not for the fainthearted.
"Great job by all hands operating on this fire as several lifesaving grabs were made that night." the accompanying Facebook post reads.
Stroup is being hailed as a hero. A third generation firefighter, Captain Stroup has been praised for his quick-thinking and good catch.
What a hero!