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Article snippet: Emmanuel Mensah was a handsome, strongly built young man in his late 20s who immigrated to the Bronx from Ghana five years ago. He joined the Army National Guard but returned to his apartment on Prospect Avenue in December, after graduating from boot camp with the rank of private first class. And on Thursday night, he lost his life trying to save people from his furiously burning apartment building, one of 12 people to die in the blaze. “He brought four people out,” said his uncle, Twum Bredu, who lives next door. “When he went to bring a fifth person out, the fire caught up with him.” Private Mensah was found in Apartment 15, his uncle said, but he lived in Apartment 11, with a friend of his father’s who was at home with his wife and four children. Private Mensah, a decorated soldier who had been awarded a medal for marksmanship and was planning to join the military police, got that family to safety, then pulled out four more people, his uncle said, before returning to the building. He never emerged; the authorities said he died of smoke inhalation. The fire cut a deadly path through the building, with four children among the victims. Maria Batiz was at home with her 8-month-old granddaughter when the fire swept up the stairs. Maris Orellana, who works at the Bronx Zoo Deli down the street, said Ms. Batiz was a regular customer and that this was her first grandchild. On a GoFundMe page asking for support, Ms. Batiz’s daughter, Christine Batiz, said that while sh... Link to the full article to read more