A man is fighting for life after a fire tore through his motel room in Brisbane’s south.

At 8am today, the Moorooka Motel in south Brisbane burst into flames in what police have labelled a suspicious fire.

Hero residents rushed into the complex, waking those in neighbouring units, after holidaymakers said smoke alarms failed.

Residents rushed out of the building as emergency services moved in to extinguish the blaze.

Emergency crews were confronted with a well developed fire on the lower level with people reported missing.

Everyone in the complex was accounted for a short time later including Levi Clamp, 32, who managed to escape his burning room but not without significant burns.

Paramedics worked desperately to save his life today, performing CPR before rushing him to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.

“It was really concerning, we were very scared and worried for them and just praying that they’re gonna be okay,” witness Fairuz Khan told 9News.

Hero neighbour Alain Ferre helped others flee the inferno, racing into the smoke armed with a fire hydrant.

“My son and my partner and I are really grateful because if he hadn’t come knocking we wouldn’t have known any better,” Deb Beasley said, referring to Ferre. 

The blaze was contained in a matter of minutes, but in a short time it packed a punch, though it could have been so much worse.

Those staying at the motel claimed the smoke alarms didn’t sound.

“The one thing I always ensure the fire message safety gets across is always ensure you have working smoke alarms in your premise because you just don’t know what’s going to happen or when it’s going to happen,” Chris Peirson from the Queensland Fire Department said.

Clamp remained in a critical but stable condition tonight after undergoing surgery.

A crime scene remained in place at the hotel as police investigated the fire.