Daring rescue as massive fire rips through high-rise building in Reading

This is the moment a construction worker was rescued from a huge fire with a crane.

Footage shows firefighters rescuing one person from a construction site in Station Hill near Napier Road in Reading, as the sky is covered in thick black smoke.

Three fire crews helped with the rescue as the man is seen being lifted into a crate before it is hoisted up into the air.

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

They 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.’

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.

A construction site in reading town centre has caught on fire (Picture: PA)

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

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‘As soon as we have more information we will provide an update.’

The Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue service 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.’

Two people have been taken to hospital (Picture: PA)

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