DeKalb firefighter: 'Instincts just took over' as he caught child from burning building

DEKALB COUNTY — The firefighter who caught a child as an apartment burned earlier this month is talking about the miraculous catch.

Capt. Scott Stroup, of the DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department, said he didn't have time to think; he just did what had to be done.

As fire tore through the Avondale Forest Apartments Jan. 3, 20 units at went up in flames.

"I've been doing firefighting for 26 years. That scene right there was probably one of the most emotionally disturbing," Stroup said.

When he arrived, Stroup said, one family was trapped three stories up. Within moments, Stroup said he knew he had to act.

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"I just looked, and I knew, that child was about to fall off that balcony. Instincts just took over," Stroup said.

The helmet cameras of fellow firefighters caught the rescue on video.

The video shows Stroup run to a ladder and, in an instant, the child drops, tumbling, and Stroup makes the incredible catch.

"Something told me that that child was going to be thrown," Stroup said.

Witnesses said he's a hero. Stroup said it was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time.

"He trusted me enough to drop that child," Stroup said.

A dozen people, including eight children, were hurt in the fire. But it could have been much worse.

No one died in the incident, thanks in big part, to Stroup.

But if you ask him, it was all just part of a day's work.

"I did what any other firefighter on that scene would have done. I just thank God that everything worked out. The child's OK. The family's OK," Stroup said.

A GoFundMe account has been set up for the victims of the fire.

Cox Media Group