Thames Valley Police, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service and Reading Borough Council continue work to recover fatalities from Tilehurst flat fire

Thames Valley Police has issued an update on a fatal fire that broke out at Rowe Court in Tilehurst late last year.

The fire was reported on the block of flats on the east side of Tilehurst at 2.56am on December 15.

The update said: "Work is continuing in Rowe Court to make the building safe following a major fire at a property at the site which occurred on 15 December.

"Thames Valley Police, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service and Reading Borough Council are continuing to work together in order to ensure this is done as quickly and as safely as possible.

“Tragically, we know that one person has died as a result of this incident and on the 30 December a second deceased person was located in the building.

“It is likely these are the two people who have been reported missing, however we cannot confirm at this time. Their families are being supported by specially trained officers.”

In the statement the police says that 'the priority remains to recover those within the building respectfully, identify them and return them to their families'.

The building remains unsafe to enter as it is likely to collapse.

The current plan is to recover those inside, which involves carefully taking down sections of the building in a controlled way. The exclusion zone already in place will continue to protect surrounding properties and keep residents safe.

The Police Victim Identification and Recovery Team, the Fire and Rescue Service, crime scene investigators and contractors are now working together to remove individual parts of the building.

The statement also said: “As we cannot be certain of the building materials used in the structure of the building, we will need to assess for dangerous materials such as asbestos, and fibreglass insulation as the dismantling process gets underway.

“As a precautionary measure, you may see workers wearing protective equipment. Please do not be alarmed by this, the equipment is to ensure the safety of those working on site who will be directly handling material. This is a usual and necessary safety measure in these types of procedures.”

Local policing area commander for Reading Superintendent Steve Raffield said: “We expect this work to be ongoing every day, aside from bank holidays, into the spring months as it needs a careful approach. While it is taking place we will do our best to keep noise and dust to a minimum.

“You may notice larger vehicles in the area as they’ll be used to take material away from the building site.

“As the structure of the building is very delicate, we do not know if this activity will trigger a spontaneous collapse.

“If this does happen, please do not be alarmed. Contractors on site are equipped to deal with this and there will be no danger to the public.”

He added: “We would advise you close windows to minimise any impact of dust entering your home.

“I know that this remains a very distressing and difficult time for so many people, and my thoughts and sympathies remain with all those who are affected.

“Please be reassured that we are all working together to resolve this situation as quickly and safely as we can.”

Area Manager at Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service Tregear Thomas said: “I would like to thank the local community for their patience while we continue to work on the recovery efforts following this incident, alongside our partners.

“We understand that this has been a difficult time for everyone and our top priority remains to resume the recovery efforts of those within the building as soon as safely possible.”

He added: “At this time, the building remains structurally unsafe and parts of the building would have to be removed in a careful and controlled manner in order to recover those within the building without compromising the safety of teams’ onsite.

“Preparation work for this is under way and, as part of this, we have determined that due to the complexity and the extensive damage to the building, teams will likely have to remain on site until approximately spring time.”

He went on to reassure residents who may be disturbed as work is carried out and said: “We understand that those nearby may be experiencing disruption while these essential works continue and so want to say thank you to the local community for their continued patience and cooperation.

“While work at the scene is ongoing, our staff will be visiting properties in the nearby area to offer advice to local residents.

“We recognise that this continues to be a challenging incident for all those affected and would like to reassure residents that we, alongside partners, are working to resume all recovery efforts as swiftly and as safely as possible.”