Fire breaks out at high-rise building with crane used to rescue trapped workers

Redevelopment site previously hit by fire and scaffolding collapse

The Station Hill development site was previously hit by another fire earlier this year - and a separate incident saw scaffolding collapse, causing injury.

Firefighters battled a blaze on the 12th and 13th floors of the £750million mixed-use scheme in July.

Site sources told the Construction Enquirer the fire was on the phase one residential part of the site - a joint venture between Lincoln Property Company and MGT Investment Management.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said at the time: “Using a drone from Thames Valley Police and an external lift at the site, firefighters were able to quickly locate and tackle a fire on the twelfth and thirteenth floors of the building. Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus then used a jet to extinguish the fire.”

Meanwhile, in August 2019, scaffolding collapsed as the derelict Friars Walk shopping centre was demolished, to make space for the new development.

At least two people were injured, with firefighters and sniffer dogs called in to hunt for people potentially trapped underneath.

South Central Ambulance Service said the two patients suffered from chest pains and a head wound but no life-threatening injuries, reported Wokingham Today.

'You could literally feel the heat...I was like woah'

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.”

Diners flee restaurant fire after 'sparkler in drink ignited wall decorations'

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

Pub manager opposite fire gave food and drink to evacuated builders

The manager of the Greyfriar pub opposite the burning building said she provided food and drink to builders evacuated from the site, including one of the men rescued by crane.

The woman, who wished not to be named, told the PA news agency: "One of the builders came in and said 'oh, can I get a bottle of water?'

"Because he was with the guy who was rescued by the crane, this guy was okay but having a panic attack.

"He went to pay and I was like 'please just have it, take more'."

What is the Station Hill development?

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

The Station Hill development website says: "The ambition for Station Hill is to deliver an outstanding regeneration project that will create a new gateway for Reading. A mixed-use development, it will become a new district – fusing contemporary living, working, leisure and open community space.

"Construction on the Station Hill redevelopment is underway and once complete will provide a truly mixed-use, sustainable development for the benefit of all."

In September, Lincoln Property Company and MGT Investment Management alongside construction partner, Sir Robert McAlpine, marked the topping out of ONE Station Hill with a ceremony.

It celebrated the 275,000 sq ft flagship ONE Station Hill building reaching its full structural height, "where it will set a new standard for the future of workspace outside of London".

Rescued worker wafted flames with coat as he was trapped on roof

A dramatic video shows a worker wafting the flames with a coat as he's cornered on the roof.

It buys enough time for a crane operator to lower a cage for him to be rescued.

Worker seen wafting flames with coat as he waits for rescue (Mirrorpix )

Windows appear to have been melted by the flames

Windows appear to have melted on a Reading high-rise during a fire on Thursday morning.

A witness said they saw the large glass panes melting.

Warped glass and scorched windows can be seen on the side of the building and parts of the roof appear to have bent.

Natalia Nobel, from Oregon in the United States, is currently living in Reading with her husband in a home overlooking the high-rise.

She said: “I was with my husband, we did see some smoke and it looked like the windows were melting.”

The flames appear to have melted windows at the Station Hill development site in Reading (PA)

Two workers rescued

Two workers were rescued by crane from a burning Reading high-rise, firefighters have said.

Christopher Hutton, of the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Just after half 11 today, we received reports of a fire on Station Hill in Reading.

“At its peak, over 50 firefighters were on the scene from fire stations across the county.

“Crews found the fire in a high-rise building under construction. Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus used two main jets to extinguish the fire.

“We understand that two people were rescued by a crane and have been placed in the care of South Central Ambulance Service and fortunately, all other people were accounted for. The fire has now been extinguished and we have scaled back our resources at the incident, but a number of crews will remain at the scene at this time to dampen down.”

Fire service confirms blaze now extinguished

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service has confirmed the blaze has now been extinguished.

It said in a post on X: "The fire has now been extinguished and we have scaled back our resources at the incident, but a number of crews will remain at the scene at this time to dampen down. Thank you to everyone for their ongoing cooperation during this time."

The fire has now been extinguished and we have scaled back our resources at the incident, but a number of crews will remain at the scene at this time to dampen down.

Thank you to everyone for their ongoing cooperation during this time.

Read more: https://t.co/sPnDLA95lw https://t.co/mdSquoAaDB

— Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (@RBFRSofficial) November 23, 2023

Hero crane worker describes 'close call'

A crane worker who rescued a man from a burning high-rise in Reading has said it was a “close call”.

Glen Edwards, 65, from Egham, Surrey, told the PA news agency: “I was no more than 20 metres up in the air and I looked out my left-hand window and saw a guy standing on the corner of the building.

“I’d only just seen him and someone said ‘can you get the cage on’, so that was it, I got the cage on and got it over to him the best I could. It was quite windy conditions.”

He added: “I would say it was a very close call, if you look at the video at the way the wind was swirling around there. I tried to put the cage down between him and the flames, but I was hampered by the wind swirling around there. But I got the cage down and I managed to get him in there.”

Witness describes moment everyone clapped as man was rescued by crane

A witness said a man rescued from the top of a burning high-rise building in Reading had a lucky escape after a crane driver winched him to safety.

The carpenter, who was working nearby, said onlookers below applauded as the man clambered into a metal basket attached to the crane and was carried away from the flames.

The witness, who did not want to be named, said: "I was in the next door building, there was a guy standing up there (on top of the building), luckily the crane came in just in time.

"He was coughing [when he came down], from the smoke, you know what I mean.

"When he got inside the crane and the crane put him down everyone was clapping.

"The crane driver was very fast. He was still in the crane while the building was on fire."

Video shows man wafting flames with coat before being rescued

Dramatic video footage shows a workman attempting to waft the huge flames and plumes of black smoke with a coat before waving at the camera.

He was then rescued by a crane.

Hero crane operator who helped rescue trapped worker with giant cage speaks out

Several construction workers at the development site said that crane driver Glen Edwards was responsible for saving one worker trapped by the fire this morning. Glen, a crane operator of 30 years, said it had "not been your average day at work". The Egham resident, who has worked at the Station Hill development site, said: "I was driving the crane at the time. I saw someone waving his coat. I got a radio call to get the man riser. I was being (supervised) from the ground." Glen said moving the cage used for transporting personnel was incredibly difficult because of the thick, black smoke that was covering the upper floors of the construction site.

Read more here

(BerkshireLive)

Were you on the scene, did you see what happened?

Were you at the scene when the fire broke out? Did you see what happened or were you helping in the rescue operation? Our inbox is open for tips and eyewitnesses, please drop us a line if you are safe to do so: [email protected].

Two people rescued by crane during Reading blaze

The fire service have confirmed that two people were rescued by a crane, during the fire at the Station Hill development in Reading town centre.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service also told the Mirror that over 50 firefighters were at the scene of the blaze.

Issuing an update, a spokesperson said: "At 11:38am on Thursday, 23 November, we received reports of a fire on Station Hill in Reading. Over 50 firefighters are at the scene alongside an Aerial Ladder Platform and Incident Command Unit.

"Upon arrival, crews discovered a fire in a high-rise building under construction. Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus are using two main jets to fight the fire. 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.

"Crews remain at the scene of the incident at this time. Please continue to avoid the area to allow emergency services access to the scene."

Local bus routes affected by fire

A number of local bus routes have been affected by the fire at Station Hill, Reading.

A number of services that usually stop nearby have had to alter their routes due to the fire.

Friar Street and Station Road have been affected and shut by the fire so are no longer being served.

Fire Incident in Friar Street affecting our routes in Reading Town. We are currently unable to serve Friar Street.

— Reading Buses (@reading_buses) November 23, 2023

Developers issue statement amid second blaze in five months

The developers behind the Station Hill building at the heart of the blaze have issued a statement amid the second fire at their site in just five months.

Redwood Consulting, on behalf of Station Hill, said: "We can confirm that a fire took place on the Station Hill construction site this morning. 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. As soon as we have more information we will provide an update."

The fire is now thought to be under control (@AliJDB/Twitter)

Two rushed to hospital

A spokesperson for South Central Ambulance Service said two people had been taken to hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation.

The spokesperson said: “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.”

Man rescued from top of burning tower block using crane

A man was rescued from the top of the burning building in Reading, using a crane.

Dramatic footage shows the flames and smoke billowing behind the person as they try to get into a cage connected to a crane.

They're eventually able to get the door open, and get whisked to safety.

Click here to read more.

A workman who was trapped on a roof was lifted to safety by a crane (PA)

GWR clarifies claims fire affects Reading train station

Great Western Railway have clarified claims that Reading station has seen all its trains to London cancelled.

The trainline said that the fire hasn't affected their timetable and that early disruption was down to safety inspections.

(PA)

Building that caught fire is £750million development

The building that caught fire is the One Station Hill development, a 16-storey office block that was set to dominate the Reading skyline.

The landmark building was due to open next year and contain 15 floors of workspace and a fitness club.

Shockingly, this isn't the first time it's caught fire, and it was at the centre of a blaze in July of this year.

A major incident was declared at the time but the developers were quick to assure people the project wouldn't be delayed.

One person was rescued from the blaze by a crane (PA)

Thames Valley Police issue statement and update road closures

Thames Valley Police have updated the roads closed by the fire in Reading town centre.

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson said: "Police officers are currently on scene supporting colleagues from Fire and Rescue and South Central Ambulance Service at an incident on Station Hill, Reading. Please avoid the area to allow emergency services clear access to the scene.

"Road closures are in place from Forbury roundabout to Forbury Road, Friar Street and Friar West. We are working to allow access for residents to premises that have not been affected by the fire, and to the hotels.

"If you live in the surrounding area, please keep windows closed and stay indoors. Further updates will be provided shortly."

Air ambulance in attendance at fire

An air ambulance was in attendance at the fire in Reading town centre today.

A Thames Valley Air Ambulance spokesperson said: "We can confirm that a critical care response vehicle was dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident in Reading today."

It isn't known yet if there have been any casualties.

The construction site was engulfed in thick smoke and flames (Tom Canning)

Police launch drone as roads closed

Police have launched a drone to help with their investigation into the fire.

Alongside that, Thames Valley Police have shut two nearby roads, Station Road and Blagrave Street, as they continue efforts.

It is now thought that the fire has been brought under control.

The fire is now thought to be under control (@AliJDB/Twitter)

Dramatic video of the fire in Reading town centre

Bus routes have been diverted

Due to an incident Reading the 143 and X40 services are unable to serve Friar Street, Station Road and Forbury Road.

The nearest alternative will be Reading Station North Interchange.

We apologise for any inconvenience.

— Thames Travel (@thames_travel) November 23, 2023

Smoke from the blaze can be seen from seven miles away

Smoke from the fire in Reading can be seen from miles away.

Residents in rural villages around seven miles from the fire report seeing smoke in the sky after the blaze erupted shortly before midday.

The smoke can be seen from miles away (@Bunting1871/Twitter)

Man seemingly rescued from the blaze

One video seemingly shows a man being rescued from the fire.

As smoke billows from the building behind him, with flames visible, he climbs onto a crane-lifted-cage. He can be seen trying to get the door open, dwarfed by the blaze behind him.

Worryingly, when the camera pans it seems to show others still inside as he climbs into the cage and lowers the door before being lifted to freedom.

Fire in Reading. Rescue of trapped person. pic.twitter.com/DAivXldypy

— Chris Lauder (@ChrLauder) November 23, 2023

Fire service issue statement asking people to avoid area and close windows and doors

The local fire service have issued a statement on the blaze in Reading, asking anyone living nearby to close their windows and doors.

They said: "At 11:38am on Thursday, 23 November, we received reports of a fire near Napier Road in Reading.

"A number of our crews are currently on the scene. While emergency services work, we ask that people avoid the area where possible and close windows and doors if you live or work nearby.

"Thank you for your patience while we deal with this incident. Updates will continue to be provided through our website incident feed."

The fire began shortly before midday today (@tomcanning83/Twitter)

Nearby workers told to evacuate offices

Nearby workers were told to evacuate from their offices after they saw the blaze spread from their own desks.

Office workers in Thames Tower, which is very close to the on fire construction site, saw it go up in flames first hand and were asked to evacuated around 11.40am today.

Have you been impacted by the fire?

The huge blaze in Reading began shortly before midday today (@tomcanning83/Twitter)