Hero crane driver dubbed 'Bruce Willis of Reading'

Glen Edwards has played down his role in saving a man from the top of a burning building

A crane operator has been dubbed "the Bruce Willis of Reading" during his first interview since rescuing a man from a burning building.

Glen Edwards was captured on video saving the man from the blaze at the Station Hill development on Thursday.

He told ITV's Good Morning Britain (GMB) he hoisted a rescue cage, attached to his crane, up to the roof after seeing the man waving his coat.

The 65-year-old said it had been emotional watching the footage back.

Talking to GMB presenters Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid, Mr Edwards was introduced as the "Bruce Willis of Reading" and referred to as a "hero".

Mr Edwards, from Egham, Surrey, told them he heard fire alarms at about 11:40 GMT and had been preparing to get himself down off the crane, which was about 65.6ft (20m) up in the air.

South Central Ambulance Service said it treated two people for smoke inhalation

He said: "I could see the guy out my left window. He had about 2 sq m (21 sq ft) to stand, the wind was swirling around, I had a job to get the cage there."

Mr Edwards said he "couldn't see a thing" because of the smoke and had two men on the ground guiding him via radio communication to position the rescue cradle for the man to climb in.

During the interview, which was his first since the incident, Mr Edwards said his adrenaline was "through the roof".

The crane driver of 30 years added: "I had so much noise up there with the alarms, it was quite buzzy.

"When I landed the rescue cradle - as he just touched down - I could feel the weight. I could hear the crowd, but I couldn't see him, I was 100% blind.

"[Then] I landed him on the ground safely. I had a job to stand up after, put it that way. I was really shaken, I needed a quiet minute to get myself together."

South Central Ambulance Service previously said two people were taken to the Royal Berkshire Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation, but neither case was severe.

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue said in a statement that without Mr Edward's "incredibly skilful rescue" they could have been looking at "an entirely different scenario".

Social media footage showed crowds applauding when Mr Edwards successfully gets the man into the rescue cage, but he told GMB he did not watch it "for a couple of days" and did not realise the moment was going to be "so big".

"I got a bit emotional watching it, it was something else," he said.

Finishing the interview, Mr Edwards said he was now hoping to meet the man he rescued and use money donated through a fundraising page to buy everyone involved a drink, adding: "I know I got the guy out, but it just wasn't all about me."

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