Reading fire: Crews fight blaze at town centre construction site
- Published
Thames Valley Police said buildings in the area had been evacuated
A major incident was declared after a fire broke out at a high-rise construction site.
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) responded to the blaze on Garrard Street, Reading, at 15:42 BST, with 10 crews at the scene.
It affected the 12th and 13th floors of the building.
Nearby shops and businesses in the town centre were evacuated, but Thames Valley Police said there were no injuries.
At about 18:15 it said the incident had been "stood down" and that the street would be reopened as soon as possible.
Crews remain at the scene checking for hot spots.
Jon Tweedy shot a video of the blaze that saw a large emergency response
RBFRS said crews from Caversham Road, Wokingham Road, Wokingham, Mortimer, Bracknell, Slough, Whitley Wood and Theale fire stations battled the fire.
It added: "An aerial ladder platform, incident command unit and five officers were also sent to the scene alongside crews from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service."
It said its firefighters were at the scene "within 90 seconds and rapidly intervened to prevent the spread of a fire in a high-rise construction site and ensured that all persons onsite were safe and accounted for".
It added: "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."
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