A Connecticut student is giving thanks to fire crews who helped rescue him in a fire that broke in his third floor apartment that broke out New Year's Eve.
"I owe them my life," Sai Ahbishek told NBC Connecticut. "I stood on the window waving for help and one of the gentleman from the fire department saw me and he came up to the third floor with the ladder and brought me down."
Ahbishek is a University of Bridgeport technology management graduate student from India.
"(I lost) my school fees, my expenses, my passport, my education documents, my immigrant documents, my clothes," Ashbishek said. "Everything."
Ahbishek stopped by the American Red Cross in Bridgeport Friday. A spokesperson said the Red Cross is helping 92 people, including 31 children, who lived in the condo complex.
Thursday night crews were forced to knock down a large portion of the building for fear it would collapse.
Donations for the dozens of homeless families are pouring in from Bridgeport and surrounding towns like Trumbull, Monroe and Easton, Bridgeport City Council member Jeanette Herron said.
"This community has stood together in crises many times before," Herron said.
The New Colony Diner next to the destroyed condo complex is where many residents went after they escaped the burning building.
"They had nowhere to go, they had no shoes, they just ran out with their pajamas on, they were in my diner for three hours," said owner Leo Koutikas.
The diner became a collection point for clothes, food, toys and other donations on Friday.
"This is amazing, we’ve had a great response," Koutikas said, "From second I opened until now, it’s a full house."
