Friar Street fire: Hour by hour as crews tackled fire for 24 hours

Crews from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to Cmart Oriental Foods on Friar Street after 2pm on Friday, May 26.

A total of 50 firefighters, 10 fire engines, one aerial compliance and one command vehicle were on hand to tackle the blaze.

The fire service has said that “it remains difficult to access the building internally due to the fire damage to establish the exact cause; however, it is not believed to be suspicious.”

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) issued an hour by hour account of the incident as officers were on the scene for more than 24 hours.

Friday, May 26 at 2pm

• At 2.11pm on Friday, 26 May, RBFRS received a report of a fire on the second floor of a building in Friar Street, Reading.
• Fire crews were in attendance.
• The fire service were urging people to avoid the area if possible to allow emergency services clear access to the scene.
• If you are using public transport in the area, please find an alternative route.

3.20pm

• Fire crews from Caversham Road, Wokingham Road, Whitley Wood, Theale, Wokingham, Crowthorne and Bracknell, along with two Officers are on the scene.
• An Aerial Ladder Platform (ALP) from Whitley Wood Fire Station and an Incident Command Unit (ICU) from Maidenhead Fire Station are also in attendance.

READ MORE: Reading supermarket may not reopen after devastating fire

4:40pm

• The fire service remained on the scene at a fire on Friar Street, Reading.
• The public were asked to avoid the area if possible to allow emergency services clear access to the scene and if you are using public transport in the area, please find an alternative route.
• As a precaution, we are advising residents and businesses to keep windows and doors shut if you live/ work in the immediate area affected.
• “Emergency services are likely to remain on the scene for some time. Thank you for your ongoing patience and cooperation”, RBFRS said.
• Incident updates continued to be provided on Twitter.

9pm

• Fire crews will remain overnight at the scene of the fire on Friar Street in Reading.
• The road remained closed between Greyfriars Rd and Queen Victoria Street.
• The fire service worked with partner agencies to bring the incident to a conclusion.
• RBFRS said: “Thank you for your patience with the disruption.”

Saturday, 27 May at 12pm

• Fire crews were still in attendance at the scene of the fire on Friar Street in Reading.
• Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service were assessing the building and will reduce the cordon as soon as it is safe to do so. “Thank you for your ongoing patience with the disruption this is causing.”

3:30pm 

• Firefighters have now left the scene of the incident on Friars Street, Reading.
• Over 50 firefighters at the peak of the fire, worked alongside partners, including Thames Valley Police, South Central Ambulance Service, Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service and Reading Borough Council overnight at the scene.
• Crews in breathing apparatus used jets, hose reels and the Aerial Ladder Platform to extinguish the fire.
• Friar Street has now reopened to pedestrians and vehicles.

READ MORE: IN PICTURES: Reading town centre brought to a standstill by Friar Street fire

Tuesday, 30 May at 1pm

Group manager for RBFRS, Rob Read, said: “Following the incident on Friar Street, Reading on Friday, 26 May, we would like to thank everyone for their patience and cooperation while emergency services dealt with the incident.

“Firefighters worked on the scene overnight to extinguish the fire on the second floor of the property, alongside partners from Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue Service, South Central Ambulance Service, Thames Valley Police and Reading Borough Council.

“Fortunately, no one was in the premises at the time of the fire.

“Crews remained on the scene for over 20 hours before scaling back resources. A fire crew has continued to attend to re-inspect the property over the bank holiday weekend and check for any hotspots.

“Due to the buildings integrity being compromised by the fire, firefighters have been re-inspecting using the Aerial Ladder Platform and thermal imaging cameras.

“While Friar Street was reopened to pedestrians and vehicles on Saturday (27 May), we would like to thank local businesses and residents for their ongoing patience as there continues to be some impact to the immediate area surrounding the fire.

“At this time, it remains difficult to access the building internally due to the fire damage to establish the exact cause; however, it is not believed to be suspicious.

“We have now handed over the site to colleagues from Reading Borough Council and continue to work closely with them to support the recovery work.”

Reading Borough Council have been contacted for a comment.