A MUM and her toddler trapped on their top floor balcony screamed for help as a blaze blocked their only escape from block of flats.

The 32-year-old woman desperately pleaded for help as her friend, who was forced to flee with other young families living at the flats in Southampton, watched in horror from the street.

Firefighters quickly made their way to the top floor of the building in Paynes Road, Freemantle, where they were able to rescue the pair, leading them down the stairs to safety.

Now police and fire investigators have launched an arson probe into the blaze, which is believed to have been started deliberately in the communal stairwell of the four-storey block.

The drama unfolded just before midnight on Saturday when smoke began filling the building, setting off the fire alarms.

Several young families were woken from their sleep, quickly grabbing their most valued possessions and running to safety outside.

One of those woken by the alarms was a friend of the 32-year-old woman, who had earlier that evening had been contacted by the mum saying she had received threats and was scared about what might happen.

The 25-year-old friend, who the Daily Echo is not naming, said: “She called me earlier that evening, she was crying, she was scared.

“So when I was woken up by the alarms, I knew something was terribly wrong. I went out into my floor and there were many people, so I got my child and went out with them. We were so scared.

“My friend saw me from the balcony and shouted to me that she couldn't leave because the fire was on her front door. I was petrified.”

Both the 32-year-old woman and her three-year-old son were unharmed and after being checked over by paramedics at the scene, did not need to go to hospital.

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Other residents spoke of their shock as they were evacuated in the middle of the night, forced to watch on helplessly from the side of the road, in their pyjamas for around two hours as firefighters battled the flames.

One resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, added: “I was shocked when the alarms started sounding and without thinking just grabbed my passport, wallet and lap top before getting out.

“The firefighters were here within minutes and they did a good job to stop the fire from spreading.”

A total of 24 firefighters from Redbridge, St Mary's and Hightown tackled the fire, which they had extinguished within the hour, preventing it from spreading any further.

The cause is being treated as suspicious, with police and fire investigators at the scene for most of the day yesterday carrying out forensic searches and tracking down any CCTV footage from the area.

Officers are appealing for anyone who saw anything suspicious at the flats, between 11pm and 11.45pm on Saturday, to contact Southampton CID on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.