ALBANY, N.Y. -- The community is helping an Albany family that lost everything in fire on Western Avenue last weekend.
Dijour Carter, 19, was enjoying a quiet relaxing early Saturday morning when he heard commotion from his siblings. The next thing Carter heard was his brother yelling 'fire.'
"I ran into the living room and the whole right side of the couch was on fire," Carter said.
With the flames spreading, Carter and his siblings began to leave the home. But as soon as they got out, Carter realized his eight-year-old sister Yahira was still inside. Without hesitating, Carter immediately went back in to look for her.
"I jet up the stairs and grabbed my sister. My sister was crying. She on the bed when I grabbed her," Carter said.
Despite not being able to see anything, Carter fought through the thick smoke and made it out safely with his sister. He was treated for smoke inhalation. But everyone else was unharmed.
The fire destroyed all of the family's belongings. However, the community is beginning to collect items and raise money for the family.
On Friday night, the Free School in Albany held their annual fish fry dinner. Fifty percent of the proceeds were donated to Carter and his family.
"[The students] were just all impressed by what he did and wanted to help," said The Free School Executive Director Deirdre Kelly.
Carter is a member of Youth FX, a group that often spends time at the Free School. When the students heard about what happened, they offered to help.
"It was just kind of a no-brainer," Kelly said. "They all talked about Christmas coming up. They all talked about how scary a fire is."
Carter and his family are now staying at a temporary home. They say they're extremely grateful for all the support. Meanwhile, the community is continuing to praise Carter for his bravery that morning.
"Positivity and unity triumph, and now we have the chance to rebuild and we have the chance to go forward from this," Carter said.
A GoFundMe page and a registry for Christmas gifts have been set up for the family.