This is the moment a man was rescued from a burning building in Reading with a crane.
The incredible video shows the man climbing into a cage, which was being lifted by a crane, at the building which was under construction near the Berkshire town's station this morning (November 23). Luckily, he managed to find safety and access the dangling cage as flames engulfed behind him.
At one stage, a huge crowd could be seen among emergency responders as they erupted in applause as the man was lifted to freedom, The Mirror reports. However, the person behind the camera showed that people seemed to still be trapped inside the former Forster Wheeler building.
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Firefighters in the area said: "At 11:38am 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."
One witness said: "This looks like quite a serious fire next to Reading Station at the former Foster Wheeler building." It is unclear whether there has been any casualties at this time. A Thames Valley Air Ambulance spokesperson commented: "We can confirm that a critical care response vehicle was dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident in Reading today."
A Thames Valley Police spokesperson added: "Police officers are currently on scene supporting colleagues from Fire and Rescue and South Central Ambulance Service at an incident on Napier Road, 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."
Berkshire Live reporter, Richard Lemmer, at the scene, said: "The fire appears to be under control or extinguished but hundreds of construction workers remain outside of the Station Hill development site in central Reading, as the situation is ‘under review’ according to one builder." The developers behind the Station Hill building have issued a statement. It comes after it was revealed that this is the second fire to take place at their site in just five months. They said they launched their fire emergency plans "immediately".
They 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."
