A hero crane worker has described the dramatic moment he rescued a man from a high-rise building in Reading as a "close call".
Footage captured the moment the worker was winched to safety from the roof as it was engulfed by a huge fire.
Two people were hospitalised after the blaze broke out in Reading town centre at an under construction building, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the sky.
The fire close to Reading train station began at around 11.38am this morning at the Station Hill development site.
Video from the scene showed the incredible rescue of a workman, carried out by heroic quick-thinking crane operator Glen Edwards.
The footage showed Mr Edwards lowering a cage down on to the roof where a man was trapped as smoke and flames billowed around him.
The trapped worker desperately climbed into the cabin as large flames raged all around.
Crowds below then cheered and applauded as Mr Edwards pulled the man up and away with the crane.
Fire in Reading. Rescue of trapped person. pic.twitter.com/DAivXldypy
— Chris Lauder (@ChrLauder) November 23, 2023
Mr Edwards, 65, from Egham, Surrey, said: 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 cornerof 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."
Steve Reynolds, who works in a building 100 yards opposite where the fire started, told the 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."
Emergency servicess confirmed two people were taken to hospital for smoke inhalation after being rescued by crane.Peter, who runs a local café, told the broadcaster the fire was "really quite dramatic - thick billowing smoke and lots of flames".
"We immediately got rid of all our customers - that's all we could think to do," he said.
Aaron, who was a bystander, said: "It's just the most devastating thing I've seen in my life."
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it received reports of the blaze near the city's Napier Road at 11.38am on Thursday.
It said: "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."
A spokesperson for South Central Ambulance Service 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.
"The safety of those on site and the wider public is always our first priority, and the site has been evacuated as a result."
The fire service said more than 50 firefighters attended the blaze, which has now been put out, along with the air ambulance, at a high-rise building under construction.
Christopher Hutton, of the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Just after half 11 today, we received reports of a fire on Station Hill in Reading.
"At its peak, over 50 firefighters were on the scene from fire stations across the county.
"Crews found the fire in a high-rise building under construction.
"Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus used two main jets to extinguish the fire.
"We understand that two people were rescued by a crane and have been placed in the care of South Central Ambulance Service and fortunately, all other people were accounted for.
"The fire has now been extinguished and we have scaled back our resources at the incident, but a number of crews will remain at the scene at this time to dampen down."
Station Road and Blagrave Street were closed as police launched a drone to investigate the fire.
The One Station Hill Complex is a landmark building that was due to open next year containing 15 floors of workspace and a fitness club.
