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Mom still unaccounted for following deadly East Point apartment fire, officials say

Police said that twin 4-year-old girls were inside the apartment, and only one survived.

EAST POINT, Ga. — A woman is still unaccounted for, and a 4-year-old girl has died after a fire consumed an East Point apartment complex building on Wednesday evening.

The fire happened at 3072 Washington Road at the Brookfield Apartments. Video from a witness at the scene showed smoke filling the air as crews responded. Four-year-old twins were inside the home at the time of the fire, officials said. 

A bystander, Ricardo Tolbert, said he was able to rescue one, and she was taken to the hospital, but the other child died. Seven other families were displaced in the fire.  

"It was during the search and rescue phase that the body of the little girl was was discovered in one of the upper units," said Renita Shelton with East Point Fire.

The tragedy could have been worse if it wasn't for Tolbert.

“I busted the window out, and I raised the window up. I yelled in there, and the baby raised her hand, and I snatched her out of there," he said. 

He then tried to return to the apartment to save others.

“I reached in, and I unlocked the door, and I went in to see if I could save anybody else. I couldn’t make it too far because of the smoke and the fire. I had to come out," he said. "I made three attempts.”

Now, for the second day in a row, investigators work to piece together what caused the deadly fire and locate who officials believe is the mother of the child found dead.

We’re still in search and rescue because until that person is found and accounted for, we will not cease our operations," Shelton said.

The Fulton Medical Examiner's Office has not released the name of the child who died. The fire is still under investigation. 

"I’m glad I was there and able to save that baby’s life but I wish I could have been there earlier maybe I could have saved every bodies life," Tolbert said.

This is a developing story. Check back often for new information.

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