A man barely escaped a fire in his fifth-floor apartment, rescued with the help of some workers dangling a ladder from a nearby fire escape.

It happened yesterday on 172nd St. in Washington Heights, on the northern end of Manhattan.

The video shows three neighbors, possibly building workers, trying to steady the ladder from the fire escape to the smoky window, but it's never stable enough for the man on the window ledge to grab onto.

At one point, one of the workers steps over the edge of the fire escape and onto another window ledge, at which point the other two workers lay the ladder flat to the 4th floor apartment window, allowing the daredevil worker to walk towards the victim who is now hanging from his window ledge.

They walk back across the ladder just as you see fire fighters arrive and make their way up the fire escape.

(At that point in the original YouTube video, the videographer is heard yelling, 'You guys are late, beat it!' ...but that video has since been removed.)

It's an intense few minutes, but it's amazing to see the man brought to safety. He was taken to the hospital, and is in stable condition.

Amazing!

Do you think the people with the ladder are heroes? Tell us in the comment section below!

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