Reading fire: Pictures show destruction caused

The four-story block of flats has been deemed unstable by Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service, who remained at the scene overnight to work on the building.

Images show parts of the Rowe Court structure has been gutted by the fire, leaving behind a skeleton of support beams.

Damage to a property in Grovelands Road, Reading, where one person has died and others are "unaccounted for" in a large fire. Police have arrested a 31-year-old man on suspicion of murder and arson

A witness to the fire, who did not want to be named, said: “The building has been really badly damaged, parts of the roof have been torn off, windows are smashed and smoke has been coming out of it for hours.”

Follow live: Updates as search for two missing people continues after fire

The fire, which is suspected to be arson, started at 3am and took fifty firefighters from across Berkshire and Oxfordshire to quell at its height.

Damage to a property in Grovelands Road, Reading, where one person has died

The other side of the building in Rowe Court

A fundraiser set up for one of many people who lost their home and possessions has already raised almost £1,700.

Windows smashed during the fire in Rowe Court, Reading

Charred beams left by a fire which gutted a block of flats in Reading, near Grovelands Road

Elizabeth Dylewska, who lives near Rowe Court, said: “How many people lost their houses before Christmas? It’s very sad.”

A 31-year-old man from Reading was arrested on suspicion of arson and murder and remains in police custody as of 11pm on Wednesday.

Windows broken during an inferno which spread through a block of flats in Reading