Firefighters plucked three men to safety from the roof of a flat after a blaze broke out in the common stairwell.

A young boy was treated for smoke inhalation after his family fled their flat on St Andrews Street in Dundee city centre, while a man was also treated by paramedics after being found in his flat by firefighters and walked to safety.

The fire, which is being blamed on a discarded cigarette, broke out just after 9.30pm on Thursday. The three men were lifted from the roof by firefighters using an aerial rescue platform. They had managed to make their way there from the top floor flats.

Police, ambulances and several fire crews from Dundee were called to the scene in the Seagate area of the city.

Dundee fire station manager Craig Thomson said: "We don’t believe this fire was started deliberately but caused by the careless disposal of a cigarette.

"It is important to ensure smoking materials are properly extinguished before leaving the area, particularly if there are combustible materials nearby.

"We would urge people not to leave rubbish or bins in the common stairwells of tenement blocks for a number of reasons. It can be very attractive to fire-setters and increases the risk of a fire."

No one was seriously injured in the fire but the smoke caused damage to the stairwell, electrics and lighting.