Man climbs down 19-story building to escape fire

PHILADELPHIA - A man scaled down the outside of a high rise building in Philadelphia to escape a fire.

It happened around 9:30 p.m. on Friday in an apartment building on Holden Street in West Philadelphia.

A total of seven people, including three police officers, were taken to the hospital after the trash caught on fire and spread.

Hundreds of people were evacuated and four people inside had to be treated at the hospital for smoke inhalation. Three responding police officers were also treated in the hospital for smoke inhalation.

During the fire, there were reports of people stuck in the building, which is at least 19 stories high.

The man who escaped by climbing down the balconies on the side of the building walked away unharmed.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.