AN arson probe was launched after fire ripped through a block of flats in Weymouth.

Firefighters rushed to the scene amid reports that people were trapped in the burning building.

One man was rescued from an upstairs window while others were led to safety.

The man, named locally as Mick Whelan, was trapped by the intense heat and smoke in his second-floor flat.

He called Dorset Fire and Rescue Service at 12.40am yesterday to say he couldn’t get out.

Two crews from Weymouth and an aerial appliance attended the flats in Beverley Road, Littlemoor, along with one crew from Dorchester and two crews from Portland.

A fire service spokesman said an operator stayed on the phone with the man, who is in his 40s, to keep him calm.

Firefighters rescued Mr Whelan from his window using a ladder and he was treated by paramedics at the scene.

A police investigation into the cause of the fire is now underway and a spokesman said that a major investigation was underway into the cause of the fire and that arson was one of the possible explanations being looked at.

Martin Lush, 43, who was evacuated with his dogs Emma and Poppy by firefighters said that it was lucky no one had died.

The fire broke out in the first-floor flat above his home, which was empty at the time.

The flat and all its contents were left severely damaged by the smoke and fire.

Damage was also caused to the communal corridor and stairway as the fire spread.

Mr Lush said: “It could have burnt all of us. I got woken up by water from the firefighters coming through my ceiling.

“Firemen rang my doorbell and escorted me and my dogs out to the fire engine.”

Weymouth police also assisted and provided refuge for all the evacuees at their station.

Mr Lush added: “The police were really helpful and took all of us from this block of flats to the police station.

“They took me to my nan’s in Dorchester as well because I couldn’t come back here with no electrics and puddles everywhere. The firemen mopped up before they left.”

Southern Electric attended and isolated the power supply to the flat and monitored the electrical safety of the other flats.

Neighbour Derek Steele, who lives next to the fire-ravaged flat, said he was woken at midnight by the noise.

He said: “Being a bank holiday I assumed it was drunks but when I looked out my window I saw the blue lights going.

“I could see three fire engines and all the hoses coming up the steps so I thought ‘what’s going on here?’”

Mr Steele, 48, was led to safety by firefighters. He said: “My neighbour Mick was outside with a breathing mask so at first I thought it was his flat that caught fire.

“He was a bit shaken up because his window is about 30 feet from the ground.”

Mr Steele added: “We don’t know what caused the fire. The lad who lives there is in his early 20s.

“He came running up as all this was going on and said: ‘Who’s flats on fire?’ and I had to say ‘Sorry mate it’s yours.’ “He said he was sure he hadn’t left anything on.”

Fire investigative officer Andy Fox attended the scene yesterday morning with a Dorset Police crime scene investigator.

Mr Fox said the badly charred and damaged wood indicated ‘extreme heat’ and added that the stairwell would have acted ‘like a flume’ with nowhere for the fire to go until the window blew out.

He said: “In light of this fire, we would like to remind everyone to make sure they have working smoke alarms fitted and an escape route planned.

He added: “We’re keeping an open mind as to whether the fire was malicious or not.”

A Quickstrike operation was carried out in the 24 hours following the fire, with community safety task teams visiting people in the surrounding area to provide free fire safety advice.

A full investigation into the cause of the fire is being carried out by Dorset Police, with the results expected today.