Viral TikTok footage shows Fousseynou Cissé balancing on a narrow ledge outside a burning apartment in Paris

He is urging those trapped inside to pass their children to him through a window on the upper floors of the building, who he then helped to safety through another window in the adjoining building

The Parisien, 39, risked his life to save his neighbors from a burning multi-story apartment building in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, earning the gratitude of the city

Perched on a tiny cornice, flush, he grabbed two babies, two children, and then two adults, and helped them to safety

Cissé received a phone call from President Macron praising his actions and was expected to be formally honored by the city

Last Friday Fousseynou Cissé, seen [photo], on an upper floor window ledge 65 feet from the ground, says he ‘didn’t think’ before saving 4 children and three adults from a burning apartment in Paris

A Paris man is being hailed as a hero by top-ranking French officials, including President Emmanuel Macron, after he risked his life to save six people from the sixth floor of a burning apartment building in the City of Lights Friday, local media reported.
Fousseynou Cissé will be decorated for act of courage and dedication, says the Ministry of the Interior.
Footage shared on TikTok shows Fousseynou Cissé, 39, balancing on a narrow ledge outside a burning apartment, urging those trapped inside to pass their children to him as smoke billowed through the shuttered windows. He first helps two infants reach a nearby window before assisting others to safety.

A Parisien risked his life to save his neighbors from a burning multi-story apartment building in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, earning the gratitude of the city and praise from French President Emmanuel Macron

On his way home from work on Friday July 4, a fire broke out on the second floor in the apartment next to his, on the 6th floor of a building in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. A thick and awful smoke emerges from the neighboring window.
Cissé’s reaction was prompt and life saving. Immediately, he stepped out of his window and reached out to the occupants. Perched on a tiny cornice, flush, he grabbed two babies, two children, and then two adults, and helped them to safety.
French newspaper Le Parisian reports that Fousseynou Cissé received a phone call from President Macron praising his actions and was expected to be formally honored by the city.
“We must have spoken for a minute or two. I had goosebumps,” Cissé said.
Cissé had already left the building with his wife and child when a frantic neighbor told him two families were trapped on the top floor.

“didn’t think” before jumping in to save the trapped families, Fousseynou Cissé said after helping to save his neighbors from the blaze on Friday

I didn’t ask myself the question. There were lives at stake, I didn’t calculate,” Cissé said when interviewed on Sunday.
“When I saw that my neighbors were stranded and shocked, I didn’t hesitate to jump out the window and find a place to put my feet. I stood firm by walking around the feet and passing the children,” Fousseynou Cissé told BFMTV.
He bolted to another neighboring apartment and stood on a thin rail connecting the two homes — risking a 65-foot drop.
The mothers gingerly handed the four children off to him one at a time. Once they were safe, Cissé helped the two mothers out and all seven of them safely reached the ground as the building kept burning.

The mothers gingerly handed four children off to Cissé, one at a time. He then helped the adults out. All seven of them safely reached the ground as the building kept burning

One of the rescued mothers told the outlet that she originally saw herself “dying with [her] children” as the fire raged on until Cissé came to the rescue.
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office reported that 10 residents of the building had been hospitalized, receiving treatment for smoke inhalation.
Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez said that he plans to award Cissé with a medal “in recognition of his courage and dedication” on July 13.

Cissé also helped the adults trapped in the apt to safety. President Macron has personally called to thank the hero. Other officials have suggested honoring him with the Medal of the City of Paris

“This medal recognizes republican courage that commands admiration,” Nuñez wrote on X.
Others have pushed for Cissé to be given the city’s highest honor, including the Medal of the City of Paris, French Socialist politician Emmanuel Grégoire suggested.
The coveted city medal is awarded to outstanding people nominated by the Council of Paris and other administrations. In the past, it’s been awarded to American icons like Michael Jackson and Toni Morrison.