26-year-old firefighter Zhang Wei Jie has been hailed as a hero after risking and sacrificing his life to save others.

Zhang was rescuing trapped fire victims

On Nov. 25, a fire had broken out in the Cangshan district of Fuzhou, China.

A team of firefighters responded to the emergency and managed to have the fire situation under control by 6:30am.

However, Beijing Youth Times reported that a group of people was still trapped inside the building as of 7:30am.

26-year-old Zhang reportedly took the initiative to go in and rescue these people.

Building unexpectedly collapsed

Unfortunately, during the rescue operation, the building unexpectedly collapsed after the fire destroyed its structure.

This buried Zhang under the rubble together with some others.

It was reported that these people were rescued at around 8:30am. Zhang, however, was only rescued at around 9:58am.

A video documenting the moment of his rescue has been widely-circulated:

In the background, the rescuers can be heard telling him to "hang in there".

Despite being sent to the hospital for treatment immediately, he was pronounced dead in the afternoon.

Joined the force in 2011, believed to have saved hundreds

Zhang joined the firefighting department in 2011.

Over the past eight years, Zhang had reportedly responded to over 1,200 firefighting rescue operations. He also reportedly saved over 300 lives.

Zhang, who had earned medals for his work, was previously recognised for his efforts.

Tributes have since poured in on Weibo following news of his death.

Top photo via Weibo video screenshot, Beijing Youth Times.