TRIBUTES have been paid to a Bury firefighter killed in a blaze in Manchester last night.
Father of two Stephen Hunt, aged 38, was part of the team fighting a fire in Paul's Hair World in Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter.
The former soldier, who was based at Philips Park Fire Station in Manchester but who lived in Bury, was said to have got into difficulty inside the building at about 8.35pm.
He was pulled out by his colleagues and treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital, where he died.
In a statement issued through Greater Manchester Police, Mr Hunt’s family said: “It is extremely hard to capture all of what Stephen means to our family.
"Stephen was an old fashioned gentleman with manners that are rare in this day and age.
"With core values which included loving his family, being the best father that he could be, loving and affectionate to those that were close to him.
"Stephen lived to serve his country having served for seven years in the Royal Signals and then becoming a Firefighter, which was a career that he was very proud of.
"The whole family will miss spending time with Stephen, none more so than his son, daughter and grandmother.
"We loved his sense of humour and are very proud of him and what he brought to our lives."
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