AN INVESTIGATION into a fire at a Reading town centre housing development is still ongoing.
The blaze broke out on the morning of Thursday, November 23, at the One Station Hill site close to Reading Station. The affected area will be used as rentable offices once complete.
Labour MP for Reading East Matt Rodda said he is continuing to push for answers, and recently spoke with the director of the investigation division at the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
“The fire at Station Hill was on a very large scale and has caused a great deal of concern in the local community,” he said.
“I’ve been liaising with the Health and Safety Executive and they have explained to me that an investigation is ongoing.
“I have asked them to look into this as a matter of urgency, and I’m hoping to hear more as the investigation unfolds.”
Mr Rodda said he will be following up his enquiry in the New Year.
Cllr Jason Brock, the leader of Reading Borough Council, has also been taking an interest in the investigation.
“I know that the Health and Safety Executive have been in and are looking over things, as rightly they should, and it’s their responsibility and we encourage them to do that, we are very happy that they are doing that,” he said.
“We await further reports, but I do sincerely hope that the developer are taking their health and safety obligations seriously.
“It seems to me that if you have that level of incidents and sequential incidents there must be some issues that they need to resolve.”
An investigation is also being undertaken by the Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS), with Deputy Chief Fire Officer of the RBFRS Mark Arkwell promising an ‘invasive’ inspection.
A representative for the developers confirmed internal and external investigations are ongoing at the site.
A spokesperson for the Station Hill development said: “The safety of those on site and the wider public is always our first priority and we can confirm that no one was seriously injured during the incident.
“We are currently working with our construction partners as well as the relevant authorities to establish the cause of the incident and will provide a further update upon the conclusion of this investigation.”
