A discarded cigarette has been blamed for a fire which led to terrified Perthshire residents leaping through windows to escape a block of flats.
Crews received an emergency call at 3.15am on Tuesday and teams from Blairgowrie and Alyth spent more than an hour tackling the flames at Coralbank Crescent, Blairgowrie.
Seven people were rescued from the two-storey building.
One woman climbed from her flat to reach safety through the window of a property in a neighbouring block. Another woman in a ground floor flat was able to get her family out through a window.
Her father, Alec Donaldson, said: “My daughter noticed the fire and called the fire brigade. She got her daughter and dog out through the window, then she came out. She couldn’t get the cat out so the firefighters had to rescue it.
“She was very scared. I got a call saying ‘the close is on fire, come and get me please’. She was screaming.
“I knew she was all right but I was worried about the residents upstairs and how they were going to get out but they were all rescued.”
Another woman, who lived in the next block and did not want to be named, told how one resident was too scared to leap from her first-floor property.
She said: “I heard a big commotion outside and when I looked out the window the lass was standing and too scared to jump down. She had two wee ones but she’d put them out the window.
“She stepped across to my flat. We gave her a cup of tea because she was so shaken.”
Despite their ordeal, some residents still found time to joke. Noting the postman had made deliveries as normal, one quipped: “I bet it’s a heating bill.”
The fire is believed to have been started by a discarded cigarette.
In addition to battling the flames, fire crews had to fight their way through a collection of belongings being stored in the common stairway.
That led the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to warn against cluttering valuable escape routes.
Group manager Graham Smart said: “This incident highlights the dangers associated with leaving combustible materials in common closes.
“If items are left near doors then escape routes can be blocked and on this occasion, we had to help residents out using a ladder, as their normal escape route had been compromised.
“There is no doubt the fire escalated due to the fact that combustible materials had been stored in the close.
“This practice is something Scottish Fire and Rescue Service actively discourages.”
He added: “Don’t allow rubbish to block escape routes or store refuse by doors, windows or any other openings.
“Make sure wheelie bins or sacks are not placed against your home, under windows or next to gas or electric boxes as fire and smoke can quickly spread to buildings.
“This fire had the potential to be even more serious, given the amount of combustible material in the close.”
The four flats involved in the fire are managed by Caledonia Housing Association.
Operations director Tim Calderbank said, “We believe the fire, which has resulted in significant damage to the flats’ communal area, began when a discarded cigarette ignited items stored within the common close.
“Although no one was injured, fire officers made clear the incident could have been more serious.
“Our main concern is for our tenants and we are working closely with Perth and Kinross Council to find alternative temporary accommodation for them whilst we undertake work to repair the damage.”