A man has been left dangling 270 feet from the top of a chimney.
A major rescue operation was launched after emergency services were alerted to the drama.
Terrifying video shows the man hanging upside down from the building as a helicopter hovers beside the building.
Fire chiefs say the man effort to bring the man to safety has been complicated by access to the structure, Mirror Online reports.
Witnesses reported shouting and wailing could be heard from Dixon's Chimney in Carlisle earlier this morning.
The man is believed to have become stuck at around 2.20am.
In a statement Cumbria Police said: "Officers became aware of a man trapped at height in the area following a call to police.
"Officers are supporting Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service and other partner agencies to attempt to free the man safely.
"The road is currently closed at Stanhope Road, Charlotte Street and Shaddongate where it meets Bridge Street (A595).
"The public are asked to avoid the area."
John McVay, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service's area manager, added: "This is a very complex and difficult process given the obvious dangers to the man and the extreme difficulty in gaining access to him in a way which will keep him and emergency services safe.
"I can assure the public that the emergency services are working tirelessly and effectively together to resolve this issues safely for all and that the protection of life is our first priority.
"I ask people impacted by the incident and the road closures to continue to show patience."
A spokeswoman for North West Ambulance Service told the Mirror Online they have sent an ambulance, a response vehicle and an operational commander - a senior clinician - to the scene.
The chimney is a Grade II listed landmark which was built by Peter Dixon in 1936 as part of an adjoining cotton factory called Shaddon Mill.
It was built to be tall enough to stop the large amounts of smoke generated by the factory polluting the rest of the city.
At the time the factory was the largest cotton mill factory in the country.
The chimney was restored by Carlisle City Council in 1999.
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