This is the moment people scream advice as a man hangs from the side of an apartment while an inferno engulfs the property.

Shocking footage shows the man seemingly trying to reach the flat below through an open window, but the person inside, apparently unaware that he was there, was seen hurriedly closing the windows during the blaze in Linping district of Hangzhou in Zhejiang, China.

It is unclear how the fire started, but it reportedly blocked the entrance for the victim, who then rushed onto the balcony in the hope of escaping the flames.

As the black smoke and flames engulfed the balcony, he clambered over the side and was left hanging from the eighth-floor property with certain death below.

Although it is not seen in the footage, emergency services said that the man was caught in a blanket that was held up by locals who stretched it between them and kept it in place for when he eventually fell.

And although he survived, he struck an unfortunate rescuer that was holding the safety net up, and both were injured.

The two were taken to hospital where the pair are being treated for their injuries on June 4.