Residents evacuated after fire breaks out in Melbourne unit block

Firefighters rushed to evacuate residents of a Melbourne apartment block after a unit caught fire in suspicious circumstances.

Crews responded within five minutes after callers reported flames issuing from the two-storey brick building on Hoddle Street at around 11.30pm on Sunday.

Of the 20 residents involved in the evacuation, eight were assisted out by firefighters in breathing apparatus.

The fire was contained to a single unit on the ground floor and declared under control in just over half an hour.

The cause of the fire has been deemed suspicious and police will investigate.