One Year On: The Station Hill Fire and Crane Rescue

On a clear autumn morning in Reading, acrid, thick, black smoke billowed across the sky. The Station Hill development, a 16-storey office building under construction in the town’s center, was ablaze. The incident occurred on 23 November 2023, with the first call to the fire service placed at 11:38 GMT, one minute before the reporter observed the scene at 11:39 GMT. At that time, sirens were not yet audible. Upon reaching street level, the smoke emanating from the high-rise served as a guide to its location. On Friar Street, law enforcement personnel were managing a crowd that had assembled at the entrance of an alleyway, offering a view of the fire. The area’s evacuation led to workers from local offices, cafes, and shops moving into the street. Witnesses readily shared their accounts, describing how the incident had disrupted their routines and appeared reminiscent of a Hollywood film. Observers noted the visible damage the fire had inflicted on the building, which had burned intensely but for a short duration. The crowd below, observing the warped and charred glass approximately ten storeys up, exhibited a palpable sense of adrenaline. The reporter subsequently broadcast live on BBC Radio Berkshire, detailing observations and accounts from the crowd. Members of a construction crew who had been inside the building indicated their belief that no one had sustained serious injuries. The reporter then encountered Peter, who operates a cafe situated near the affected building. Peter described witnessing the blaze and presented a video he had recorded on his phone. The video depicted an individual being evacuated by a crane from the building’s roof, mere feet from the flames. As the crane’s winch extended, the crowd reacted with gasps as the worker struggled to enter the cage, followed by cheers as the worker was safely moved away from imminent danger. This event emerged as the day’s most memorable image. Months later, Glen Edwards, the crane operator involved in the rescue, stated that he only fully comprehended his accomplishment that day upon descending to the ground and receiving applause from onlookers. He was quoted as saying, “I was only doing my job,” adding, “I was the one in the crane, it could have been a hundred other crane drivers, I just happened to be there that day.” In August, Glen spoke with the individual he had rescued for the first time; their brief phone conversation reportedly consisted primarily of the phrase “thank you.” South Central Ambulance Service confirmed that two individuals were hospitalized for smoke inhalation, though neither case was considered serious. The town centre experienced a standstill that afternoon, with firefighters and police officers remaining at the scene for several hours. A year later, the origin of the blaze remains undetermined, as the investigation conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is still in progress. Although the fire itself concluded rapidly, it is a day that the residents of Reading are unlikely to forget in the near future. For updates, BBC Berkshire can be followed on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or Instagram. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites and provides information regarding its approach to external linking.