GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) – Some East Carolina University students are having to find a new place to live because of an apartment fire.

The fire broke out early Sunday morning at The Landing Student Living complex and left 21 people without a home.

“I woke up at like 4:30 (a.m.) and heard a boom,” said Khyshawn Johnson, an ECU student and a resident of The Landing. “I was still kind of asleep and I could feel the smoke and the heat. The first thing I did was try to wake everybody up. One of my friends, he was already up and he was helping people. We were just trying to get everybody out of the building.”

Once they were out of the building, that’s when he learned that 21-year-old, John Rusick, a resident at the complex, crashed into the HVAC unit outside Johnson’s bedroom window. That crash sparked a fire and water damage that impacted six units. Greenville Fire and Rescue have deemed them all unlivable.

“Mostly all my stuff is gone,” said Johnson. “All my school stuff, everything is gone. My clothes are mostly gone.”

“Some of my electronic stuff is gone, but that’s replaceable,” said Damanyae Chambers, another ECU student and resident of The Landing. “Some clothes and a laptop that was on the ground that got wet.”

Regardless of the losses, residents say they are happy things weren’t worse.

“I’m just really glad to be alive,” Johnson said. “All my stuff will come back, but my life was just more important than the materials.”

Now Johnson and Chambers are staying in a hotel provided by the property management, but they aren’t sure what comes next.

“I’m definitely moving somewhere else, right now I’m just trying to get back on my feet,” Johnson said.

WNCT checked in at The Landing’s leasing office on Monday. They weren’t able to answer any questions about what type of support they’ll offer the displaced students moving forward. They said any student who has concerns should stop by their office.