CHARGES against a Bolton schoolgirl accused of starting a blaze that killed a Radcliffe firefighter will be dropped.

The 16-year-old girl was due to stand trial on Monday in relation to the fire, which claimed the life of Stephen Hunt at a beauty salon in the Northern Quarter in Manchester on July 13, 2013.

Sources say the Crown Prosecution Service has decided not to proceed with the case against the teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

A last-minute hearing has now been arranged to take place at Manchester Crown Court at 10am today.

The Bolton News understands that the case is to be discontinued at the hearing, with the judge to hand the file down to the coroner.

Mr Hunt's inquest has been delayed by the criminal investigation, but is now expected to take place soon, on a date yet to be fixed.

A fire service spokesman said they would not yet be commenting on the incident.

He said: "We have made no comment on any aspect of the incident and are unlikely to do so until the coroner's inquest into Stephen's death has concluded.

"Save to say we continue to work with everyone involved in various investigations to find the truth of what happened, not least for Stephen's family, but for everyone involved and especially our firefighters."

In January, the teenage defendant, who was 15 at the time of the blaze, entered a not guilty plea to arson while being reckless as to whether life was endangered.

Her father sat behind her in the dock throughout the brief hearing.

Father-of-two Mr Hunt was one of 60 firefighters to tackle the fire at Paul's Hair World in Oldham Street, Manchester.

The ex-soldier got into difficulties inside the building and was taken to hospital but did not recover from his injuries.

He had been living in New Road, Radcliffe, and was based at Philips Park fire station in Manchester.

At his funeral service, his 18-year-old daughter, Charlotte, said: "All of you here today know the name Stephen Hunt.

"Some of you will know a little about the man behind that name and for the rest of us, we have had the honour of him being part of our lives.”

She added: "His love of life and infectious smile is something we will remember him for.”