Huge fire breaks out in Reading as thick smoke seen across the town

Pedestrians film dramatic rescue of one person from roof of building

A huge fire has broken out in Reading city centre, with dramatic footage emerging showing a crane driver rescuing a workman trapped on the roof of a burning building.

Large plumes of black smoke filled the sky after the blaze broke out at around 11.30am on Thursday in a building that was under construction.

More than 50 firefighters were scrambled to the Station Hill development site as the emergency services urged people to stay away from the area.

As the blaze engulfed the high-rise tower block, footage captured the moment a heroic crane driver lifted someone to safety from the roof before a crowd burst into applause.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the person was one of two rescued by a crane driver and both were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation.

It said that everyone else was accounted for after the fire, which could be seen from miles away.

The £750 million Station Hill development, close to Reading Station, is intended to be a business and living quarter for the town.

A spokesperson for the fire service said: “We understand that two people were rescued by a crane and have been placed in the care of South Central Ambulance Service. All other people have been accounted for at this time.”

A South Central Ambulance Service spokesperson added: “I can confirm we’ve taken two people to the Royal Berkshire Hospital for further assessment and treatment for smoke inhalation, neither of whom were severe cases.

“We are now on stand-by supporting the fire service (which is a standard operational procedure when they are working at height and at scale).

“We have our hazardous area response team, an ambulance, the Thames Valley Air Ambulance critical care car, an operational commander, a tactical adviser and a tactical commander at the scene.”

A workman who was trapped on a roof being lifted to safety (PA Media)

Office workers in nearby buildings told the Reading Chronicle that they were told to evacuate their building because of the fire.

One person said: “You could literally feel the heat, a guy in my lobby said fire and I was like woah. No idea how it started.”

Another said: “The windows look like they are going to smash and shatter on you.”

Redwood Consulting, on behalf of Station Hill, said: “We activated our fire emergency plans immediately, the emergency services were notified and are currently on site.

“The safety of those on site and the wider public is always our first priority, and the site has been evacuated as a result.”

Office workers in nearby buildings had to evacuate their buildings (Tom Canning)

Thames Valley Police was also called to the incident and said that road closures had been put in place from Forbury roundabout to Forbury Road, Friar Street and Friar West.

The force added that it was working to allow access for residents to premises that have not been affected by the fire and to the nearby hotels.

At 2:45pm Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the fire had been extinguished but crews remain at the scene to dampen down the affected areas.

Despite the blaze taking place nearby, Reading Train Station remained open and no train lines were affected.