POLICE are investigating a fire in a flat which they believe is suspicious.

A man is helping officers with their enquiries after the incident at Cornish Gardens in Bournemouth.

The fire took place in the early hours of Sunday morning around 3am. No one was injured in the blaze.

A Dorset Police spokesperson said: "We were called to an incident just after 3am this morning where there was a fire.

"A man is helping us with enquiries at this stage.

"No one was injured. The incident is being treated as suspicious."

Fire and ambulance crews attended the scene along with police.

A Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "At 3.21am were were called to a domestic property fire.

"Crews from Redhill and Springbourne attended and extinguished the fire using two breathing apparatus and a hose reel jet.

"The stop message came at 4.17am."

Visible damage could be seen from outside the address, with scorch marks around the first floor window.

Jennifer Carrillo, a resident of Cornish Gardens, said she was woken up by a knock at the door in the early hours.

"I asked who it was because you don't expect anything at that time of day and it turned out it was a police officer," she said.

"There were a lot of police vehicles parked up around here and eight or nine firefighters.

"It was quite a commotion. We were all watching what was going on and fortunately no one was injured.

"I've never seen anything like it here before."

Another resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said they were woken up by the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles.

"There must have been two police vans and three or four cars as well, and of course the fire engines," she said