Babies Tossed To Firefighters In Decatur Blaze

DECATUR, GA — Parents were tossing babies to firefighters out of apartment building windows after a massive fire engulfed an apartment complex in Decatur early Wednesday.

Eight children and four adults were taken to hospitals with minor injuries in the blaze, which was reported at about 5 a.m. on Pine Tree Circle near Memorial Drive. Most of the injuries were due to smoke inhalation, according to DeKalb County Fire and Rescue.

It was brought under control at about 7:40 a.m., according to the fire department.

According to fire officials, firefighters immediately began rescuing children and adults, including some in wheelchairs, from the complex. Parents on balconies were tossing their children to safety.

"We were catching babies like a football," DeKalb fire Capt. Eric Jackson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Literally."

MARTA buses were called in to get residents displaced by the fire out of the cold. It was 28 degrees later Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Photo courtesy DeKalb County Fire & Rescue