Students start fundraiser for Armenian lecturer who escaped London fire

PanARMENIAN.Net - Kind-hearted students have started a fundraising page for a Croydon lecturer, Mesrob Kassemdjian, who lived in the Grenfell Tower and lost of all his possessions in the fire, including research for his PhD, Croydon Advertiser reports.

Kassemdjian, known as Robbie to his students, managed to escape his 17th floor flat with his girlfriend and elderly auntie before the fire engulfed the building.

So far 79 people are confirmed to have died or gone missing in the disaster .

The teacher of criminology at University Centre Croydon (UCC), based at Croydon College, watched as the building "caught fire like a candle".

Now, his students, who describe Robbie as "much-loved" are trying to collect £1,500 for him to replace his extensive book collection, laptop and equipment he used to teach and for research into his PhD, which were all lost in the blaze.

The fundraiser has been opened on the JustGiving website.

The fire has left the building almost completely charred, and there were concerns about the tower's structural integrity, as it appeared to lean slightly to one side.

Search-and-recovery efforts were paused on Friday, June 16 over safety concerns, but resumed Saturday afternoon, police said.