Officer: 'Someone was yelling that there were still children'

First responders came face to face with intense flames and heavy smoke at the Conyers duplex where four children died.

Sgt. Bill Connell of the Conyers Police Department was the first to arrive at the scene of the fire.

"It's the most frustrating feeling that I've ever experienced, just knowing there was probably some kids in there and there's no way to get to them," said Connell.

Connell said that he did all he could to locate the helpless children trapped inside.

"Someone was yelling that there were still children inside," said Connell.

The veteran police officer was out of options. He headed inside the burning duplex with merely a fire extinguisher in hopes of saving the children.

"Grabbed my fire extinguisher went part way up the stairs and tried to knock the fire down with that, but it was so intense the fire extinguisher was totally ineffective," said Connell.

He stepped back from the scene once firefighters arrived but he never got visions of children out of his head.

"Most of us in law enforcement, we get pretty jaded to a lot of the stuff we see, but kids always -- I've got a child and I see her face on everyone one of these kids when something like this happens," said Connell.

Connell said he was only in the  duplex for two minutes or less, but said it felt like an eternity.

Despite his efforts,  8-month-old Deon Glass, 3-year-old Amoni Roberts, 7-year-old Deshon Glass and 9-year-old Ah'Dariya Glass were all killed in the fire.

The child's mother, Reba Glass, suffered severe burns and is being treated at Grady Memorial Hospital. A 6-year-old child, Darnell, suffered a broken collar bone, and was transported to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston.

Donations for the family are being accepted under the "Glass Family Memorial Fund" at Wells Fargo Bank.