This is the moment a man in Italy trying to escape a fire falls from a third-floor window onto the street below and survives because quick-thinking firefighters had set up a pile of mattresses.

The shocking incident happened on the top floor of a rundown building in the historic centre of the city of Cosenza in southern Italy’s Calabria region.

The man who escaped the blaze was not named but is reportedly 28 years old.

In some of the photographs, smoke can be seen billowing from the window that he climbs out of and a wall of flame is seen erupting from the window next to it.

In one of the videos, firemen can be seen calling people to throw mattresses down from the flats which they then pile up underneath the unfortunate man hanging from the window ledge.

In another video, the man is seen losing his grip and dropping to the ground and landing on the mattresses.

As he falls from the third-floor window, he seems to catch on the side of the building sending him spiralling through the air but still, fortunately, landing on the mattresses which cushioned the fall.

The firemen then carried him to hospital and he is in good condition, according to local media.

An investigation is currently underway into the cause of the fire which is currently unknown.

It was reported that the building was abandoned and derelict and it is unclear what the young man was doing inside which will also be investigated.