A police probe is underway after a number of people had to be rescued from their homes when a blaze was started deliberately in a block of flats.

Tayside Fire and Rescue confirmed the fire in the flats in Firbank Road, Perth was being treated as suspicious.

A Tayside Police investigation is under way into the source of the blaze on Saturday night, which forced the occupants of four flats out of their homes.

A spokesman for Tayside Fire and Rescue said: "Four people were trapped within their first-floor flats. Firefighters swiftly rescued them using ladders, whilst fire crews quickly knocked down the fire with a hose line.

"Due to a combination of the safety advice given to occupants and the swift actions of the fire crews, no-one was injured. This fire could easily have had devastating consequences.

"A preliminary investigation established that the fire had started within a common close stairwell store. It caused extensive damage within the immediate area.".