VIDEO: Philadelphia Man Climbs Down 19 Stories Outside Apartment Building To Escape Fire

A man climbed down a 19-story high rise in Philadelphia to escape a fire that broke out in the building Thursday.

The fire broke out Holden Tower in West Philadelphia around 9:30 p.m. EST Thursday night. Several firefighter units responded to the fire and were greeted to the sight of a man scaling down the building from the outside to escape the fire. The man was able to grapple down the building using the balconies and railings on the outside of the apartment building to slowly work their way down. He eventually made it all the way down, where multiple emergency personnel stepped into ensure he was okay.

The daring escape was also caught on video.

Firefighters on the scene elaborated further about the extent of the fire, saying smoke was billowing out from all 19 floors. However, they discovered that the fire, itself, had only been isolated to the building’s garbage chute.

Something had become stuck in the garbage chute around the third floor that caught fire. The building’s sprinkler system did kick in, but it wasn’t enough to extinguish the fire. Several firefighters were eventually able to get a water hose to the fourth floor and flood the trash chute with water.

Firefighters were also able to safely evacuate the building after the elevator system shut down for safety, though some injuries from smoke exposure were reported.

“We did make some forcible entry on some units,” Philadelphia Fire Assistant Chief Harry Bannan said. “We received calls from our fire communication center and fire department units. We went to those apartments to check on those residents.”

Firefighters reported the fire officially extinguished at 10:56 p.m. EST.