This Firefighter Caught a Child Thrown From a Fiery Building — and It Was Caught on Tape
Prepare for your heart to catch in your throat, because this newly released video from the Dekalb, GA, County Fire and Rescue Department will definitely have that effect. Shot from a firefighter's body-worn camera, the video captured a truly harrowing moment as said firefighter went about their job fighting a Jan. 3 apartment fire that injured a dozen people and displaced even more. Around the 55-second mark in the video above, you can see one of the firefighters catch a falling child whose parent had desperately thrown them from the third story, which is engulfed in flames.
In a Facebook post containing the video, one of the Dekalb County firehouses described:
New HD Video of Dekalb County Fire Rescue Department firefighters rescuing a dozen trapped occupants from an apartment with heavy fire involvement on arrival. Third generation DCFR firefighter Captain Scott Stroup can be seen catching one of the children that was dropped from the third floor balcony. Great job by all hands operating on this fire as several lifesaving grabs were made that night.
The catch is a lucky one, but according to local press, it was one of several during the same terrifying blaze. One Dekalb fire captain told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that members of his department were "catching babies like a football" when desperate parents tossed them from balconies as their homes burned down around them. The youngest child saved from the apartment fire in this fashion was reportedly a 1-month-old infant.
The accidental footage of the shocking save only shows one child being flung to their rescue, but it's terrifying enough to instill a whole new level of respect for the dangerous work firefighters do every day. Give it a watch, and thank your local first responders next time you get the chance!