A TEENAGE girl from Bolton who had been smoking with a friend outside a shop where a fire killed a firefighter was "panicking and upset", an inquest heard.

Father-of-two Stephen Hunt died on July 13 2013 after fighting the blaze at the rear section of Paul's Hair World where flammable beauty products were being stored.

Mr Hunt, aged 38, was among 50 colleagues who tackled the inferno but got into difficulties while inside the Manchester city centre building.

The inquest being held in Manchester was told the two girls, both then 15, began smoking a cigarette each outside the rear door at around 2.38pm.

One of them, from Bolton, told police she had finished hers before stubbing it out on the adjacent wall.

Senior coroner for Manchester Nigel Meadows said: "She maintained that she thought both cigarette ends were out.

"(The girl) said that she always checked if out and was sure it was completely out."

The girl said she had noticed a row of cigarette butts under the door and had pulled a leaflet from the door which she read and then pushed back.

Mr Meadows told the jurors before the teenagers left they had not noticed any smouldering smoke from under the door.

The girls, who are now aged 17, said they made their way to the nearby Afflecks Palace building before noticing a "commotion" outside and the fire engines.

Jurors were told that they wondered if it could have been them who had started the fire and became "upset".

They returned to the scene and spoke to officers.

The fire was discovered by an employee at around 2.45pm, around the same time the girls left the area.

Jurors were told Mr Hunt and colleague Jeremy Jones, both wearing breathing apparatus, had entered through the rear door at around 8pm. Half an hour later they passed fellow crew members sent to relieve them.

Mr Meadows said: "It seems that Stephen and Firefighter Jones then took a wrong turn and made their way to the stair area on the other side of the building.

"At some point they became separated.

"It would seem that shouts were heard coming from inside by those outside.

"It was then recognised that Stephen and Firefighter Jones were missing."

The duo were rescued at 8.40pm but Mr Hunt, who had been living in New Road, Radcliffe, and was based at Philips Park Fire Station in Newton Heath, East Manchester, later died from the effects of the heat at Manchester Royal Infirmary.

An initial investigation by two other fire services determined the fire had been started deliberately with the use of a naked flame but an expert said that he could not rule out the possibility it started accidentally.

The Bolton girl was charged with committing arson being reckless as to whether life was endangered but the charge was later dropped by prosecutors.

The inquest continues.