Doctors performed a second successful surgery yesterday morning on College of Arts and Sciences senior Steven Boursiquot, who survived the 21 Aberdeen St. fire that killed two Boston University students Feb. 24, according to those close to him.

Treating Boursiquot’s third-degree burn wounds, doctors transplanted skin from his thigh to burn spots on his back to help them heal, according to an online statement his sister, Christina Boursiquot, posted on a Massachusetts General Hospital CarePage.

“We went in to see him, and he’s looking wonderful,” she wrote.

Boursiquot, 21, is still breathing through a ventilation tube because doctors want his skin grafts to “take” and not be rejected by his body before they remove the tube, said former 21 Aberdeen St. resident Joe Dunbar, a Suffolk University senior.

“He looks excellent,” Dunbar said. “He’s completely recognizable. The swelling in his face has gone down substantially, and his surgery went well.

“I went in there with his father and his cousin today, and as soon as we went in there, we said, ‘Steven, we’re here,’ and his eyes opened up, and you could tell he knew we were there,” he continued. “He tried moving his lips. It looked like he was trying to communicate, but he just wasn’t able to get out words.”

School of Management senior Matt Van Wart, who lived in the apartment below Boursiquot’s, said it is difficult to see how the burn wounds are healing because they are mostly on his back.

“His father said everything went good,” Van Wart said. “They’ve been keeping [Boursiquot] sedated, but he’ll open his eyes once in a while, look around. A couple times, he’s tried to get up.”

Van Wart said he believes Boursiquot’s ventilation tube will be removed this weekend.

“He’s a strong kid, and he’s probably going to recover faster than they expect him to,” Van Wart said.

SMG senior Stephen Adelipour, 21, and CAS junior Rhiannon McCuish, 21, were killed in the Feb. 24 fire started by a candle. Boursiquot shared the apartment with Adelipour and SMG senior Rich Park, who was not in the apartment during the fire.

Boursiquot awill probably be able to leave the Intensive Care Unit — where he has been placed since the fire — this weekend, Van Wart said.

Without offering details, Dunbar said a group of Boursiquot’s friends have “secured an apartment,” which Boursiquot will live in with them once he gets better.

“Right now, we’re waiting for Steven to recover so he can join us,” he said. “He looks good, and we’re all looking for a quick recovery.”