The victims of New York City’s deadliest fire in decades include a man who immigrated to the Bronx from Ghana and dreamed of becoming a military policeman.

A relative tells The New York Times that Emmanuel Mensah had rescued a number of people then went back into the burning building, where he died of smoke inhalation.

Twum Bredu says Mensah had recently graduated from Army National Guard boot camp.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro says the fire that killed a dozen people on Thursday night started on a stove and raced through a door and up five floors.

(AP)