A fire in a stairwell in Aberdeen is believed to have been started deliberately.

The blaze led to residents being evacuated from the block of flats in Coningham Terrace.

Police and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were called to the property in the early hours of Sunday after the fire started in the close.

No one was injured but the stairwell was smoke-damaged and the front door of the property was destroyed.

Detective constable Christopher Chapman 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.

"Following early enquiries I would like to stress that we are treating this as an isolated incident."