West Philadelphia fire: Man climbs down 19-storey building to escape blaze that left seven injured

Resident flee as smoke engulfs every floor of high-rise building

A man climbed down the outside of a 19-storey block of flats in a death-defying escape from a fire that injured four residents and three police officers.

The man, who has not been identified, took just three minutes to climb down to safety before being greeted by waiting police officers on the ground and walking away unharmed.

The fire, which is thought to have started in a rubbish chute, broke out at around 9.30pm on Thursday at Holden Tower, West Philadelphia.

Firefighters found smoke billowing on all 19 floors of the building when they arrived at the scene. The blaze was under control by 10.56pm.

Four residents and three police officers were treated for smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion, according to authorities.

All residents were able to escape the high-rise building. Some who had mobility issues were carried out by neighbours.

Firefighters said sprinklers were activated when the fire started. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

“It was the most horrible thing that I have ever seen in my life. People were screaming ‘let me out, get me off the balcony’ because they’re caged in,” a witness told WPVI-TV.

“If they’re coming out of their homes – once they get on their balcony, they still can’t get out.”

Firefighters said they had to enter some individual units by force.

"We did make some forcible entry on some units. We received calls from our fire communication centre and fire department units," said Philadelphia's assistant fire chief Harry Bannan.

“We went to those apartments to check on those residents.”

Although residents had to evacuate the building, they were allowed back inside later that night.

Agencies contributed to this report