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Crew support rescue and recovery at crashed helicopter site

Firefighters from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) made the scene of a helicopter crash safe during the weekend.

Crews, officers and specialist teams from RBFRS were sent to the crash at 5.48pm on Friday 24 March after Thames Valley Fire Control Service (TVFCS) received a number of 999 calls.

Firefighters from Caversham Road were first on the scene and followed by an officer.

The pilot and passenger had managed to free themselves from the wreckage before firefighters arrived.

RBFRS’ Group Manager Paul Jones said: “They were extremely lucky – it’s very rare for people to get out of helicopter crashes alive, they normally come down at a rate of knots.

“It was in distress and the pilot managed to get it down to 20-40m and then came down, turning the helicopter over. They were very, very lucky to get out alive.

“Our crews, officers and specialist teams did some good work in getting to the scene quickly and making it safe.”

The helicopter had come down between two houses and had narrowly missed an overhead power cable near to the River Thames at The Warren in Reading.

The initial crew of firefighters were followed by a crew from Wokingham Road, the heavy rescue unit from Dee Road Fire Station, foam equipment from Whitley Wood and a 4×4 vehicle from Maidenhead.

Fuel from the helicopter was made safe by the teams from RBFRS.