A terrified mum and her six-year-old daughter were left trapped in a flat during a 'deliberate' fire.
Fahima said her eyes started 'burning' as black smoke poured into her home in Edinburgh, Scotland, today.
She and her daughter were unable to flee the property as the fire raged at the bottom of their stairwell, EdinburghLive reports.
Fortunately firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze before the flames reached her door.
Although none of the families trapped inside the building were injured, it was still a frightening ordeal.
Fahima rang the fire brigade when she heard the alarms go off in the property's shared stairwell.
She told EdinburghLive: “The fire started at the bottom.
"We heard it was started through the letterbox and on the bike that was in the communal area at the front.
"The police said where the fire started and that it was done intentionally but with what and why we do not know.
“I called the fire brigade at 3.16am and they arrived pretty quickly and did a fantastic job.
“ My daughter is only six and woke up very scared after.
"We were watching from the bedroom window explaining that we are safe and the firefighters are here to keep us safe and to put out the fire.
“A few firefighters saw my daughter at the window very scared and they all waved which made her feel a bit more safe.
"Police then attended and have been here on and off this morning."
Fahima added the situation could have been dire if firefighters had not turned up.
She said: “This was very serious as both back and front entrance was blocked and if the fire fighters didn’t come on time this could’ve turned very bad for the people living in the flat.
“The communal area was filled with black smoke which started coming into my flat, my eyes were burning and I was worried about my child’s safety.
“But one lovely firefighter saw me constantly standing at the window just wanting an update on the fire and asked if I’m ok.
"I told him about the smoke and he said to open all the windows but do not open the front door and exit the building.”
