February 11, 2009 3:29 PM

Toddler Survives Drop From Apartment Blaze

(CBS/AP)  A German photographer caught the heart-stopping moment when a father decided there was no other way to save his 2-year-old girl from a blazing apartment fire than to drop her out of fourth-story window.

CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports flames were sweeping through a crowded apartment block in the western German town of Ludwigshafen, sending stranded people to windows to gasp for air.

The building served as a refugee hostel for Turkish families, many of whom became trapped on the upper floors.

Tenants located on the lower floors of the building handed their children to German firefighters on ladders.

But the parents in the photograph were too high up, and made the harrowing decision to drop the young girl to the crowd below. She was caught safely by an off-duty police officer who just happened to be in the neighborhood.

Not everyone was so lucky; nine people - including five children - died in the blaze.

It's not known whether the baby's parents survived.

Police found eight bodies in the building and one woman died in a hospital after the fire Sunday, police spokeswoman Simone Eisenbarth said. Twenty-two people remained hospitalized Monday.

"Unfortunately, we cannot exclude further victims," Eisenbarth said. Investigators were not immediately able to enter parts of the smoldering building because the structure, much of it made of wood, was in danger of collapsing.

The cause of the fire, which started Sunday afternoon, was not clear and the victims had not yet been identified, Eisenbarth said.

Police said 24 people - all of them Turkish citizens - were registered as living in the four-story building, but that more people had been in the house, celebrating a Catholic festival.

Police said the old wooden staircase of the building collapsed shortly after the fire broke out.

© 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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by leon2277 February 6, 2008 6:00 PM EST
Forget the first comment this is not a ghost this is really a femalestanding over the window trying to survive the fire while the baby is being trown i wonder did she make it
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by leon2277 February 5, 2008 11:10 PM EST
If you see closely in the upper left corner of this pic you can see a ghost in the window getting ready to jump out and if you look in the right corner you can see the face of another ghost. there is a few in the fire but i doubt they will be noticed, but look closely its maybe a sign. Imsorry for the nine people who lost their life but im happy with the safe catch made by the police and all the survivors
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by leon2277 February 5, 2008 11:05 PM EST
If you see closely in the left corner of this pic you can see a ghost in the window getting ready to jump out and if you look in the right corner you can see the face of another ghost, there are a few in the fire but i doubt ya will notice them, but look closely its maybe a sign Well im happy for the survivors
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by skilibre February 5, 2008 10:31 PM EST
Some good news, a story on bbcnews reports that the parents survived as well, though the mother is still recovering in hospital.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7228880.stm
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by ladyjaneg February 5, 2008 7:56 PM EST
I don''t understand...why is everyone calling the child a boy when the article clearly says 2 year old girl? Just a question...maybe I missed something?
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by us_pfalzer February 5, 2008 6:59 PM EST
Incredible story. Only question: Why were Turks celebrating a Catholic festival, and which festival was this, exactly?

Answer: Everyone (or nearly everyone) celebrates during "Karneval" in this region of Southern Germany. Though it is historically a Roman Catholic festival in the lead up to Ash Wednesday and Lent, most folks take it as a chance to party.

The fire that occured Sunday afternoon and its devestation was tragic. My work colleagues and I have been very moved by this disaster. The Turkish community is a strong one in the area and I hope that folks of other religions reach out to help their neighbors. My wife had friends who lived in the same building 10 years back and she mentioned to me that some skin heads had a club on the bottom floor until the city had them re-moved. They really did not fit in having a social club in a multi-ethnic neighborhood. Let''s hope this was not a racially motivated crime from some Neo-Nazis. Knowing the German authorities I am sure they are exploring all leads.
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by timd52-2009 February 5, 2008 5:52 PM EST
God was with that child all the way down!!
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by roughrider53 February 5, 2008 5:31 PM EST
Classic escape from a fire engulfed building. This is what makes Cops and firemen heroes. Young Ahmet gets hurled out the window by his father who entrusted total strangers to catch his little boy and they actually did!
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by roughrider53 February 5, 2008 5:31 PM EST
Classic escape from a fire engulfed building. This is what makes Cops and firemen heroes. Young Ahmet gets hurled out the window by his father who entrusted total strangers to catch his little boy and they actually did!
Reply to this comment
by roughrider53 February 5, 2008 4:50 PM EST
Classic escape from a fire engulfed building. This is what makes Cops and firemen heroes. Young Ahmet gets hurled out the window by his father who entrusted total strangers to catch his little boy and they actually did!
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