Police appeal after wilful fire-raising at Aberdeen flats

Police have appealed for information following a wilful fire-raising incident in Aberdeen.

Firefighters were called to a fire in the stairwell of a block of flats in the Coningham Terrace area in the early hours of Sunday.

The flats were evacuated and no-one was injured.

Police Scotland said that extensive smoke damage was caused to the stairwell and the main front door to the block was destroyed.

Det Con Christopher Chapman, who is leading the investigation, said: "I would appeal to anyone with information about this incident to please get in touch, in particular if you were in the area around the time in question and saw anything or anyone suspicious.

"Thankfully no one was injured, however, there were residents within the block at the time and, given the time of night, had the fire not been found quickly the consequences could have been disastrous.

"It also goes without saying that such a worrying incident has caused a great deal of distress to those who live within the building."