A devastating early morning fire has gutted a house in Perth.
Four fire engines were sent to James Street in the city after the blaze took hold shortly before 6am. Video footage of the inferno shows huge flames and black smoke billowing from the roof of the property. The top floor of the residential property appears to have been charred by the inferno.
Residents in the street were evacuated as a precautionary measure as fire crews on a height appliance used a hose to dampen down the scene via an upstairs window. It is understood crews are still in attendance.
Local resident Mitch Taylor says he believes he was able to help people get out safely after he battered on their doors shortly after the fire broke out. Mitch, who caught the fire on camera, told the Record he saw smoke "rising from the roof" of the property shortly before 5.45am.
He said: "I walked down the road to see what was happening and called the emergency services. Then I started banging on the doors to get everybody up.
"A lady was a bit confused as to why I was trying to wake her up but when she got outside she realised what the big deal was. Bits of the roof and broken bits of glass were falling down after being burned off the building but the stairwell hadn't filled with smoke as I went up banging doors.
"I was worried that the whole building was going to go up. I dread to think what would have happened if we hadn't woken people - the guy upstairs would definitely have been in trouble."
Mitch has been hailed as a hero by the residents of James Street. However, it is unknown if anyone was inside the flat where the fire broke out.
In a statement, the SFRS said: “We were alerted at 5.48am on Monday, August 22 to reports of a fire within a house on James Street, Perth. Operations control mobilised four appliances and firefighters are tackling the fire.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Emergency services are in attendance following a report of a fire at a property on James Street in Perth around 6am on Monday, 22 August, 2022.
"Local residents have been evacuated as a precaution. James Street is closed and local diversions are in place."
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