A street in Bronx, New York, is set to be named after Private 1st Class Emmanuel Mensah, the Ghanaian-born US soldier who died rescuing people from the Belmont building fire in December 2017.<\/p>\n
This was announced by the area\u2019s district councilman, Ritchie Torres.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”zbLmDgDWfUXM2TPalAiOUQv2ugfOkLnV”]Kwabena Mensah will also receive a Medal of Valor and a Soldier\u2019s Medal from the Army, the latter being the highest peacetime honor for bravery not involving armed conflict.<\/p>\n
The 28-year-old soldier was among the 13 victims of the fire that gutted the building on December 28, 2017.<\/p>\n
Mr. Torres was speaking during a gathering of the community and religious leaders to announce support for the victims of the Belmont building fire, as well as the distribution of donations collected.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmmanuel Mensah represents the best that this country and this community has to offer,\u201d Mr. Torres said.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the New York Daily News, Mensah\u2019s father, Kwabena Mensah, 62, said the street renaming would honor the grieving family.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is going to be nice on his legacy. He will be remembered forever. He\u2019s gone, but when I see the street with his name on it, that will put me in a good mood\u2026 Naming a street after him will keep him here forever,\u201d Kwabena Mensah’s father said.<\/p>\n
After the fire broke out on the first floor of the building, the young soldier, who was home for the holidays, saved four lives.<\/p>\n
Reports indicate that Kwabena Mensah raced in and out of the burning building at least three times bringing others to safety, but he was unable to make it out himself.<\/p>\n
Authorities say a 3-year-old boy ignited the blaze while playing with a gas stove inside his first-floor apartment.<\/p>\n
The boy’s mother, who escaped the inferno with the little boy and a second small child, did not close the door as she raced to safety, fire officials said.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
By: Delali Adogla-Bessa\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A street in Bronx, New York, is set to be named after Private 1st Class Emmanuel Mensah, the Ghanaian-born US soldier who died rescuing people from the Belmont building fire in December 2017. This was announced by the area\u2019s district councilman, Ritchie Torres. [contextly_sidebar id=”zbLmDgDWfUXM2TPalAiOUQv2ugfOkLnV”]Kwabena Mensah will also receive a Medal of Valor and a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":394652,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[107,11],"tags":[8786,3,16453,8787],"yoast_head":"\n