THE ROYAL Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service has released a statement following a fire which broke out above the Cmart store on Friar Street.
Following reports of a fire on the second floor above the supermarket at around 3.30pm on Friday, May 26, crews from seven different fire stations were scrambled to the scene, including Caversham Road, Wokingham Road, Whitley Wood, Theale, Wokingham, Crowthorne, and Bracknell.
The fire caused travel disruption throughout central Reading as multiple bus routes were diverted and some cancelled altogether.
Now RBFRS has confirmed that nobody was present at the premises and that it does not consider the incident to be suspicious.
An exact cause is yet to be established as Reading Borough Council has now taken over the continued assessment of the site.
Rob Read, Group Manager for RBFRS, 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.”
He explained: “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 building’s 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.”
He continued: “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.
“Businesses concerned about fire safety or wanting to know more about how to protect their premises, can contact us through our website for more information: www.rbfrs.co.uk/your-safety/safety-at-work/our-fire-safety-offices.”
He also explained that RBFRS will be holding Fire Safety in the Workplace sessions for local businesses, which take place on 6 and 8 June.
You can register to attend via: rbfrs.co.uk/your-safety/safety-at-work/fire-safety-sessions/
