Frederick McKanney, 28, and William Eubanks, 38, caught Alicia Gilbert's 6-month-old daughter and 2-year-old son as she dropped them off the elevated walkway in front of her home.
``She didn't want to turn those kids loose like that,'' Eubanks said. ``But those flames were right over her head.''
Two other men, who were not identified, suffered smoke inhalation injuries and were being treated at a nearby hospital. No one else was injured though eight apartments were damaged, said Lt. Travis Parker, spokesman for the Tuscaloosa fire department.
Gilbert, 20, said the fire blocked her stairway before Eubanks and McKanney called for her to drop the children.
``I felt the fire already on my back,'' said Gilbert, who moved into the apartment complex about two months ago. ``I had to drop them, I wasn't going to let them burn.''
Once the children were safely on the ground, Gilbert ran to the end of the walkway and shimmied down a gutter with the aid of Eubanks and McKanney.
Fire inspectors have said the fire appeared to start in the living or dining area of a downstairs apartment. The occupants were not home at the time, and the investigation is ongoing, Parker said.
