Firefighter deftly catches child amid deadly third-storey plunge

A firefighter has been caught on camera catching a child dropped by their parent as they attempted to flee from their third-storey balcony amid a fierce blaze.

Video of the rescue, captured by the helmet camera of a member of the Dekalb County Fire Rescue Department in Georgia, US on January 3, shows the hair-raising moment the parent appears to fling the child to an firefighter while descending a ladder from their balcony, CBS News reports.

The video shows third-generation firefighter Captain Scott Stroup catching the child and hurrying away, stumbling to his knees.

The catch was one of many firefighters were forced to make during the rescue effort.

"We were catching babies like a football – literally," County Fire Rescue Captain Eric Jackson said.

"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."

Four adults and eight children between the ages one month and three years old suffered minor injuries in the fire, largely related to smoke inhalation, CBS affiliate WGCL-TV reported at the time.

More than 45 firefighters were on scene to battle the blaze and assist with the rescues.

The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed.