A cat is lucky to be alive after being forced to jump out the window of a New York apartment building as the home is engulfed in flames.
Emergency services were called to the building in East Harlem on Saturday afternoon, NBC reported.
A man who was wanted on domestic violence charges had barricaded himself inside the apartment and when police officers knocked at the door, he set the room on fire.
Residents became trapped in the building and a cat was seen hanging out of a window on the second storey as the fire increased.
Footage posted to social media shows the cat hesitating, before falling into the arms of police officers below with its tail smoking.
A spokesperson for New York's Animal Care Centers told NBC the cat suffered from smoke inhalation but "is in pretty good shape".
The police are now attempting to find the owner.
The man who had locked himself in the apartment was brought out unconscious and taken to hospital.
NBC reported seven people, including two police officers, were injured in the blaze.
