Dramatic video shows Georgia firefighter catching child dropped from burning building

Image shows Cpt. Scott Stroup rescuing a child thrown from a burning building on Jan. 3. (DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department)

A Georgia firefighter is being hailed as a hero after dramatic video earlier this month captured him catching a child being thrown from a burning apartment.

The DeKalb County Fire Rescue Department uploaded the video to Facebook Sunday showing Cpt. Scott Stroup catching a child thrown away from the inferno by her father on Jan. 3, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

The video shows Stroup catching the girl and then carrying her away in a blanket to safety before collapsing to his knees.

The fire at the Avondale Forest Apartments in Decatur displaced about 80 people, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. Rescue crews rescued 12 people, including eight children, according to WFAA-TV.

“We were catching babies like a football, literally,” Capt. Eric Jackson told reporters. “There were adults that were on the balcony that were dropping their babies right into our arms. We had a couple firefighters catching babies, so it was just really incredible.”

Cpt. Jackie Peckrul, another firefighter at the scene, was being praised as well after separately catching a child during the rescue.

"That was the only thing running through my mind... 'Lord, let me catch this baby,'" she told Fox 5 Atlanta.

About a dozen people suffered smoke inhalation injuries in the blaze, CBS News reported.