Three fire crews attended the south Belfast blaze

Five other people were in the building in Camden Street when the fire started on the ground floor on Monday evening.

They were alerted to the blaze by a smoke alarm.

The man who was rescued by firefighters made his way from a second floor flat to a first floor window. No-one else was injured.

Fire Officer Gabriel Ferguson said firefighters knew there was someone still trapped in the building when they arrived.

"We sent three fire engines to respond to the incident," he said.

"On arrival, five other people had made their way down - they were alerted by a smoke alarm.

"But there was still one man who was trapped on the first floor and had made his way to the window."

He said the firefighters placed a ladder up to the window and brought the man to safety.

The fire started in a ground floor bathroom, but the smoke had made its way throughout the building, said the officer.

"The man who was trapped had taken in a fair bit of smoke and he was taken on to hospital for the effects of breathing in smoke."