How Children, Ages 3 and 10, Jump from Window Into Arms of Rescuers During Fire Outbreak in a Building

Two young children jumped from the window of a third-story apartment to escape a fire in a dramatic rescue that was caught on video

The fire broke out on Tuesday in an apartment in the French city of Grenoble, trapping two boys ages 3 and 10 years old inside, according to the BBC.

In the video clip, black plumes of smoke can be seen billowing from the window as onlookers scream from below, and the blaze engulfs a balcony next to the window.

A small child is then lowered by another person out of a window until he’s finally dropped into the arms of rescuers waiting on the ground to catch him.

The second child then jumps from the window, too, and is also caught by a group below

The boys – who fell about 33 feet — were hospitalized for smoke inhalation following the incredible rescue, the Associated Press reported.

Seventeen residents of the building were also hospitalized following the blaze, as were four of the people who caught the boys, to ensure they did not fracture any bones, according to the AP.

Athoumani Walid, a local student who helped catch the kids, told the AP he suffered a broken wrist during the save.

“We didn’t know what to do,” said Walid, 25. “We wanted to break the door but it wasn’t possible. When they jumped, fear disappeared. What mattered was to catch them.”

Walid added that he hoped the teamwork he and his fellow rescuers showed in selflessly banding together will help change the image of the Villeneuve neighborhood, which has a large immigrant population.

“We are told it’s a ‘sensitive’ neighborhood, but yesterday we showed we are here for each other, and we save each other,” he said.