Apartment fire forces residents to jump from second story

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A raging fire forced several people to jump from the second floor of a Panthersville Road apartment complex early Wednesday morning.

“I just jumped out and told my sister to start throwing the kids at me. So, I caught all four of my nieces and nephews, took them to a neighbor, then ran back around to see if any Neighbors needed help," Marcelino Estrada said.

Fire crews were called to the Hidden Villa Apartments in DeKalb County around 4 a.m. Upon arrival, they found heavy flames and smoke on the first and second levels of the K building.

Kimberly Pope and her 13-year-old daughter leaped from a second story balcony.

"We didn't have a choice, there was too much smoke coming under the door and when I opened it, all I saw was orange fire. We had to jump," said Pope, whose daughter suffered minor head and back injuries after landing on concrete.

FOX 5 News spoke with resident Joshua Chivers who ran out of his building to help coax the teen to safety.

"That was the scariest thing in my life. It was dark, there was a bunch of smoke. It felt like you were jumping 10,000 feet," Shivers said.

Another family went out a second story window of their unit. The mother, who had already jumped, waited on the ground as the father passed four young children to her arms.

Resident Jonathan Smith said he was in bed sleeping when he heard smoke detectors going off. He said he looked into the hallway and saw the fire, so he jumped off of his balcony.

Several adults and children were being treated at Grady Memorial Hospital for minor injuries suffered after they jumped from widows and balconies. One fire department official said it was a miracle no one was seriously hurt.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the large blaze. Eight families were displaced and received relocation assistance from the Red Cross.

At least eight units in the building are uninhabitable. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fire.