The teenage girl killed when an overloaded electrical cord sparked a fast-moving fire in a Manhattan building was a popular high school student who liked goofy selfies and sang in the church choir.
Melisa Mendez, 15, died Monday when flames engulfed the Hamilton Heights apartment building where she lived with her family.
The four-alarm blaze broke out in the six-story building on West 136th Street, near the City College campus, around 5:45 p.m., and left nearly a dozen families homeless, authorities said.
A day later, shaken survivors traded tales of brave escapes — and sorrow over the young neighbor who didn’t make it out.
“She was making her way down with her father,” said Altagracia Hernandez, 50, describing the frantic hallway scene. “It looks like he lost her in the smoke. He came out and started saying, ‘She came out with me.’ They found her on the stairs later.”
“I was with my daughter. I was giving her a bath when I smelled smoke,” said Joel Mellado, 28, who moved into a fifth-floor apartment four months ago. “We opened the window and there was the smoke. I went out running with my daughter. It was already getting smoky. Thank God I’m alive.”
The family’s pastor, the Rev. José Clavero of Annunciation Church at West 131st Street and Convent Avenue, said Melisa and her dad were watching television when the fire broke out.
“Both of them got out of the apartment,” Clavero said. “He said, ‘Let’s go that way.’ They went down to the fourth floor. He kept going. He came out and said, ‘Where’s Melisa?’ ”
Clavero said Melisa’s mother was heartbroken.
“She was in pain,” Clavero said. “She didn’t know. No one could tell her exactly.”
Clavero said Melisa inspired adults and other youths in the church.
“She was incredibly involved in the church. For someone 15 years of age, it was incredible.”
Neighbors remembered Melisa as a quiet but friendly girl. Her Facebook page said she went to Manhattan Academy for Arts & Language, and features a volume of fun photos with her and her friends.
Fire Commissioner Dan Nigro said the girl would probably still be alive if two simple safety rules had been followed.
“Last night’s fire started because of an extension cord, a power strip that was overloaded that was underneath furniture. This is nothing new to the Fire Department,” Nigro said.
“The reason it spread and the reason this young lady lost her life was that the occupant of the apartment on the first floor left the apartment and did not close the door behind. We cannot stress enough and we have in the past forgotten this lesson, but folks forget it all the time: If you’re leaving the apartment, close the door.
“The fire quickly spread to the hall, it quickly spread upstairs, and that was the cause of the loss of life.”
A civilian and 10 firefighters suffered minor injuries in the blaze.
Thirty adults and 33 children from 10 families were displaced because of the fire, according to the American Red Cross, which set up a service center at a nearby school, where they were providing water, food and housing assistance.
“The flames were so fast,” said Armando Tejada, 39. “You could see it come out of the windows. Barely anybody had a chance to do anything.”