A DEVONPORT man has spoken about the moment he realised his flat had been targeted by arsonists.

David Dix was watching television in his Granby Street home yesterday morning when his smoke alarm sounded.

The 37-year-old walked to the front door and saw it ablaze.

Luckily, a quick-thinking neighbour, who had not been named by police last night, threw a bucket of water over the burning front door.

"If I didn't have the smoke alarm it might have killed me," said Mr Dix.

"I wasn't worried when I saw the fire and I wasn't scared, but if my daughter was here it could have been a different story.

"Just as the fire brigade arrived I opened the door and the fire was almost out."

Police Sergeant Beverley Havis said the flat was one of two in the same block deliberately targeted in an early-morning attack yesterday.

She appealed for witnesses who saw anything unusual between 6.30am and 7am to contact the force.

Police and firemen were called to Granby Street shortly before 7am yesterday, where they found the front doors of two flats were alight.

The other flat was unoccupied at the time.

"Police were called to a possible arson attack," said a force spokesman. "Someone had set fire to the front doors. This was a potentially serious incident."

The fire service said two appliances from Camels Head and one from Greenbank were called to the blaze at 6.47am.

The crews dealt with a fire in a second-floor flat, confined to the front door, and a fire in a first-floor flat, also involving the front door which was severely damaged by fire. The whole of the first-floor flat suffered light to moderate smoke damage, but fire damage was confined to the front door and entrance area.

Sergeant Havis said she believed the incidents were linked and targeted, but she had not yet established the motive.

"It was a very serious attack and fortunate that no one was hurt," she said.

"It could have affected many other people in the block, where there are about 18 flats.

"There was an occupant in the second-floor flat but luckily he had a fire alarm and called the fire brigade.

"He was trapped in the flat for a short time but a neighbour brought a bucket of water and damped down the fire enough for him to escape."

She said there were people in the park opposite the flats who might have seen something, and she appealed for them to contact the police.

Anyone with information should call 08452 777444 quoting police log 119 of August 31 or phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.