THE cause of a fire in the centre of Reading may not be known for another 24 hours due to the building being unsafe to enter.

Crews from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to 132 Friar Street after 2pm on Friday, May 26.

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

READ MORE: WATCH: Firefighters tackle Reading fire in Friar Street

Businesses were forced to evacuate the street and a cordon remained in place until about 3.30pm yesterday (Saturday, May 27).

The street has now reopened but RBFRS are still operating in the area due to ‘hotspots’ remaining in the building.

It could take up to 24 hours to find a cause to the fire due to the building remain a danger to enter.

Tim Readings, of RBFRS, said: “We’re still working at the scene but we’ve scaled it right back. The fire is out but there are still a few hotspots.

“It’s difficult to access due to the fire damage and it’s not safe to send firefighters in the building.

“We’re got a fire investigation underway to try and determine the cause. I think it’s going to be another 24 hours or more but each time we go we reassess it.

READ MORE: Street reopens after 50 firefighters tackle Reading fire

“We’ll put water on if we need to but in a normal fire we just put firefighters in the building and they will dampen it down but we can’t do that as the risk is too high.”

Mr Readings said that crews will use the roofs of neighbouring buildings to continue putting water into the premise to control the hotspots.

He added: “It’s going to slow us down and we’re going to be doing that for a little while.”

No one was in the premises at the time of the fire and there have been no reports of any casualties or injuries.

Mr Readings said crews now want to thank people for their patience due to the ‘major disruption’ of the incident.”

“The fire itself caused a lot of disruption due to the cordon,” he said. “So, we really want to thank the people who work in and around Friar Street and people who were hoping to go shopping.

“We thank everyone for their patience. It was a major disruption as it’s a really awkward place to work.”

He added that for businesses concerned about fire safety or wanting to know more about how to protect their premises, people can go to their website to find out more information.

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“People often find it confusing and we’re happy to point them in the right direction,” he said.

For fire safety advice, visit www.rbfrs.co.uk