Reading fire - live: Worker rescued by crane as firefighters tackle dramatic blaze near station

A worker was dramatically rescued by a crane after a huge fire broke out at the top of a building in Reading city centre, with dramatic footage showing the person being lifted to safety.

Emergency services were alerted to the fire shortly after 11.30am on Thursday, with 50 firefighters at the scene alongside an Aerial Ladder Platform and Incident Command Unit.

Two people, including the individual rescued from the One Station Hill building, have been taken to hospital for smoke inhalation, neither of which are being treated as severe cases.

Footage on social media shows large plumes of black smoke filling the sky in the area, with offices nearby told to evacuate.

A spokesperson for Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue said: “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.

Despite the blaze taking place nearby, Reading Train Station is still open and no train lines are affected.

End of live coverage

17:31 , Holly Evans

We’re ending our live coverage of this incident - thank you for joining us.

To read the full article, follow the link here.

Witness says worker was ‘coughing’ while being rescued from the smoke

16:50 , Holly Evans

Another witness told the BBC: “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.

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

“The crane operator was very fast. He was still in the crane while the building was on fire.”

Video shows hero crane driver rescuing man trapped on top of burning tower block

16:30 , Holly Evans

Eyewitness saw ‘ball of flames’ before cheers as rescue operation carried out

16:00 , Holly Evans

Steve Reynolds was working in a building 100 yards away from where the fire started.

He told BBC: “I saw a black cloud go up and a ball of flames happen and all of a sudden I could see there was a guy trapped on the corner.

“There were bits of glass falling off the side of the building and he was completely exposed up there.

“Then all of a sudden a crane came out from the left with a carriage on it and they lowered it down… and he gets in and they pull him away.

“There was a massive cheer from all the workers on the ground. It was pretty terrifying.”

Crane worker breaks silence on ‘close call’ rescue

15:36 , Holly Evans

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.”

Fire now extinguished

15:08 , Holly Evans

In a social media post, 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.

Train station remains open

15:04 , Holly Evans

Despite the blaze taking place nearby, Reading Train Station is still open and no train lines are affected.

Thames Valley Police confirmed their involvement in the incident, saying that road closures had been put in place from Forbury roundabout to Forbury Road, Friar Street and Friar West.

Reading tower block shrouded in black smoke during fire

15:03 , Holly Evans

Smoke seen billowing over Reading town centre

14:48 , Holly Evans

A number of videos and pictures posted on social media show smoke billowing over Reading’s town centre, after a fire began in the partially-constructed One Station Hill complex this morning.

Firefighters and paramedics remain at the scene, while offices nearby have been evacuated.

Read the full story

14:34 , Holly Evans

A huge fire has broken out in Reading city centre with dramatic footage showing one person being rescued by a crane on the roof of the burning building.

Large plumes of black smoke filled the sky in the area after a blaze was reported to the fire service shortly after 11:30am on Thursday. Thames Valley Police and South Central Ambulance Service are also on the scene.

People took to social media to share videos of the massive black smoke cloud over the city - with one person on the ground filming someone trapped on the site being rescued by a crane.

Read the full article from my colleague Athena Stavrou here

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

Two people taken to hospital for smoke inhalation

14:26 , Holly Evans

Two people have been taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation following the incident, one being the worker who was rescued. Neither cases are being treated as serious.

A spokesperson for South Central Ambulance Service said: “We are now on standby 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 advisor and a tactical commander at the scene.”

Statement from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service

14:13 , Holly Evans

A spokesperon for the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service 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.”

Watch: Hero crane driver rescues man trapped on top of burning tower block

14:10 , Holly Evans

Reading fire: Hero crane driver rescues man trapped on top of burning tower block

Welcome to our live coverage

14:05 , Holly Evans

Welcome to our live coverage of the ongoing fire in Reading town centre, which has seen two people rescued by crane from the top of the semi-constructed building.

We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates here.