‘To a fallen brother.’
This was just one of the heart-felt floral tributes at the scene of the devastating Northern Quarter fire which tragically claimed Manchester firefighter Stephen Hunt’s life this weekend.
The blaze occurred at Paul’s Hair World on Oldham Street on Saturday and spread to music venue NQ Live behind it.
A sea of flowers have been laid in front of the burnt remnants of the shop, among them messages from the public, businesses in the area, and fellow firefighters.
DEVASTATING: The scene of the fire in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter
A message from Blackley Fire Station’s Red Watch read ‘to a fallen brother’.
While the Blackley Blue Watch wrote: “Our deepest condolences to a great fire-fighter.”
Many businesses that have been affected by the fire have told MM that due to the severity of the blaze they have been unable to return inside their stores.
TRIBUTES: Flowers line Oldham Street in front of Paul’s Hair World where the
blaze began
Because of this, many do not know how badly damaged their property is or how much of their stock has been affected.
Jack Coulton, a teacher in the language school above Paul’s Hair World, described how the call centre on the second floor had been ‘completely destroyed’.
The language school on the third floor also sustained heavy damage and Jack and his students were relying on the kindness of cafés and coffee shops in the area to provide them with a place to study.
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