Fifteen people had to be evacuated from a five-storey tenement block in Dundee after a fire broke out.

Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus led the residents to safety after being called at around 10.30pm on Wednesday to an address in the city’s Garland Place.

On arrival crews found the block of flats well ablaze with flames spreading along the roof of the building. After receiving additional support from Fife Fire Service, a cordon was put in place to ensure public safety.

Two residents were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation with a member of the emergency services requiring treatment for an injured shoulder.

They were taken to the city's Ninewells Hospital for precautionary checks and have since been released.

Dundee City Council confirmed it is providing temporary accommodation for those affected. On Thursday night Tayside Police said there was no evidence at the moment to suggest the blaze was "started deliberately."

The fire was extinguished and Chief Inspector Sandy Brodie thanking all parties for their assistance in tackling the fire.

He said: "This was very much a co-ordinated team approach with staff from all three emergency services and Dundee City Council involved. All those involved worked tirelessly throughout the night to ensure the safety of the public and protect property as far as reasonably practicable.

"The cordon will remain on until such times as investigations are complete and it is deemed safe for members of the public to return to the area. I would like to take this opportunity in advance to thank members of the public for their patience during this period.

"At the moment we will retain an open mind about the potential cause of the fire; as in every case of a fire of this nature a joint investigation will take place to try and establish how the fire started."

Station manager Roy Dunsire said firefighters had been confronted with a "severe fire" and that if it was not for the "swift and decisive actions" of the crew the situation could have been far worse with lives at risk.

He said: "Firefighters were confronted with a severe fire which was spreading rapidly throughout the tenement block. It was very dynamic in the early stages and the fire developed very rapidly."

He added that ladders and aerial equipment was used to rescue residents in the upper flats. He said 15 people were rescued and around 8 flats were effected by smoke and water damage.

"Two residents within the tenenement block suffered smoke inhalation and a firefighter received a slight injury to his shoulder. He was transported to hospital but was later released.

"I could not praise the firefighters enough for their swift and decisive actions they took to secure the safety of the residents.

"The building has been severely damaged by the fire so much so that we have structural engineers in place to assess the structural integrity of the building."

Eyewitness Heather Robertson, who lives nearby, said: "I saw a massive flame from the back of the building and people coming down on ladders. It was huge."

A female border terrier amazed firefighters by surviving for six and a half hours in the burning building.

The dog called Molly was recovered from the tenement flat after six fire crews spent hours tackling the blaze.

Firefighters only discovered the dog when they had recovered all of the residents and were completing final checks on the property.

The dog is now recovering at Parkside Veterinary Group.

Any person with information regarding this incident should contact Tayside Police on 0300 111 2222.