A resident trapped in the second floor of a burning university building was rescued.

The man was heard yelling from the window at the back Colegio de San Juan de Letran as the library caught fire in Manila on May 29.

Dramatic footage shows the man panicking as he desperately tried to lean out of the window covered by metal grills.

He shattered a glass panel to let more air inside and security guards and concerned passersby placed a ladder at the front of the building to reach him.

He was heard saying: ‘There's no fire here but it is very hot. The smoke is very thick.'

While the blaze continued to spread inside, a volunteer used a grinder to cut through the metal bars which was pulled dragged away by a rope.

The man then crawled out of the hole. He was unhurt and given first aid treatment.

The school said in a statement: ‘We are relieved to inform you that the Letran campus has been declared safe following an incident at the St. Thomas building.'

Arson investigators are still determining the cause of the fire. No one was reported hurt from the blaze.