Yahoo Sports 2 Babies Killed and 3 Injured in Alabama After Tree 'Severed Their Home in 2' During Windstorm
Carol Robinson/AL.com/AP
An unspeakable tragedy has rocked an Alabama neighborhood after a massive tree crashed through the roof of a Birmingham home killing two babies.
The infants, who were pronounced dead Thursday after being taken to a Children's of Alabama hospital, have been identified as Jalaia Ford, 3 months, and Journi Jones, 11 months, a spokeswoman for the Jefferson County Coroner and Medical Examiner's Office tells PEOPLE.
"The tree is so large that every time we move an inch, the floor becomes more and more unstable,'' Birmingham Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief Sebastian Carrillo told AL.com during the dramatic rescue where first responders feared the residence might collapse under the weight of the tree.
Firefighters then spent hours working to rescue a woman pinned under debris and the tree, fearing it could crush her, and them, at any moment.
"We're having to stabilize the floor so we can get to her. It's rough. It's terrible."
RELATED: 9-Year-Old Girl Killed by Falling Tree During Storm While Camping With Family: 'Unimaginable Loss'
Two adults — one of whom was trapped in a recliner under the tree — and an 11-year-old boy were taken to local hospitals and are currently being treated for injuries, according to the AL.com.
Carillo, according to ABC 33/40, told reporters at the scene that the massive tree had "completely severed the house in two."
Representatives for the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Battalion did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
The region was hit by a series of storms on Thursday that generated wind gusts that topped 50 mph and left over 10,000 homes and businesses across the state without power through Friday morning, the AP reported.
Heavy winds from storms on Thursday damaged homes and property up the East Coast as far north as the Canadian border, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
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Communities near Birmingham scrambled to deal with the damage caused by the numerous trees that were toppled by the storm. "We have officers being dispatched to help traffic around the trees," the Hueytown Police Department told residents in a social media post. "However there are so many we are getting to them as fast as we can."
