A community in Weymouth have reacted to a shocking arson attack at a block of flats.
Two recycling bins inside the communal storage area directly under Abigail Apartments in Greenhill were intentionally set ablaze in the early hours of the morning.
Police have said the blaze could have had 'extremely serious consequences'.
Luckily, the fire was extinguished before any serious damage was done.
Police and fire crews liaised with each other to determine that the fire was started deliberately.
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Abigail Apartments is connected to, and located just behind, Olympia Heights at Greenhill. The parking garage for residents of both apartments is accessed through a large gate, locked to non-residents. It is also next to the Brewers Fayre pub, where the fire engines were stationed parked early on Saturday to tackle the fire.
A resident of Abigail Apartments was awoken in the night by the fire alarm blaring.
She said: "I am obviously shocked. It scared me, hearing what happened."
Another resident of Greenhill recalled seeing the lights from the fire engines through his window.
He said: "All we saw was fire engines and then the police arrived the day after for around four or five hours.
"The fire engines parked outside the pub and put the hoses over the fence. I just saw the flash of the sirens. They were only there an hour or two."
A resident of Olympia Heights described the location of the bins, which were located inside an area gated off to the public.
He said: "It was the recycling bins. There is a lot of smoke damage. We have stuff in there we can't get through."
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The burned-out bin could be seen outside the apartments. Fire damage can be seen on one of the external doors, which appears to have black stains up the door frame.
Another resident of Greenhill said: "It will make everyone a bit anxious. I imagine it is unusual in this area."
One neighbour said: "No matter how nice the area there is always mischief. If it was under flats that is extremely dangerous."
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Police are appealing for witnesses and relevant video footage to help in their investigation.
Detective Constable Rob Hoskins, of Dorset County CID, said: “This fire was started in a storage area beneath a residential building and therefore could have had extremely serious consequences.
“We are carrying out detailed enquiries into the circumstances of this incident and I would urge anyone who witnessed any suspicious activity in the area during the early hours of Saturday, April 27, to please contact us.
“I would also like to hear from anyone who may have captured any relevant footage on home CCTV systems, doorbell cameras or dashcams.”
A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire said: "We received a call at 1.54am on Saturday, April 27 about a property fire on Greenhill, Weymouth.
"Two crews from Weymouth, Portland and Dorchester attended the incident which involved two wheelie bins in a ground floor bin storage area. Four breathing apparatus wearers used two hose reel jets to extinguish the fire."
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55240062140.
Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.
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