Fairfield University senior Thomas McDuff was watching TV when the fire alarm went off next door to his townhouse, on Sunday night.

McDuff says he used a big cup from his yard pong game, filled the cup and climbed out of his roommate's bedroom window on the second floor.

"I went onto the roof, and I had to walk around like 15 feet to the other window," said McDuff.

The senior student managed to put the fire out completely. Fire officials in Fairfield are saying this incident serves as a reminder of the importance of working smoke detectors.

Officials say the cause of the fire was a candle, which is not allowed on campus. "It's really important that you don't have candles unattended," Fairfield Fire Inspector Ron Vargo said. "That you blow the candles out when you're leaving the room."