Agencies/London
Two 15-year-old girls have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after a firefighter was killed tackling a blaze at a city centre hair salon.
Firefighter Stephen Hunt, 38, was part of a team responding to a fire at Paul’s Hair World in Oldham Street, Manchester, when he and a colleague got into difficulties on Saturday night. Both were pulled from the building and taken to hospital but the father-of-two was declared dead on arrival.
Detective superintendent Phil Owen said: “We are working with our colleagues from the fire service to establish how this fire, which has tragically claimed the life of a fire fighter, started.
“We have already arrested two juveniles in connection with the fire and our enquiries are continuing. If anyone has any information about how the fire started please get in touch.”
Earlier, county fire officer Steve McGuirk said arson had not been ruled out.
The chief fire officer said Hunt had two teenage children and that his family were “absolutely grief-stricken” and said it was still a “very raw situation”.
He said: “We are devastated by the loss of one of our colleagues who has died in the line of duty. We never expect to lose a colleague in this way and it brings home the dangers that our firefighters put themselves in every day to keep the community safe.
“Stephen had been a dedicated firefighter since 2008 and we are all in a state of shock. It is a very sad day for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and all our thoughts are with Stephen’s family and friends.”
McGuirk said Hunt is thought to have been enveloped by some kind of “super heat”. The store house and above offices are the headquarters of a hairdressing supplies company where various chemicals used in the trade are thought to have been stored.