Issue date: 9/13/04 Section: News

In a statement released Friday, the State Fire Marshal's Office said a natural gas leak caused the explosion and resulting fire at the University Apartments of Texas A&M on July 31, 2004.

The statement said the leak was from an exterior service line serving the U-1 building.

"We cannot confirm the ignition source of the fire at this time, however, it has been determined that the fire was accidental in nature," said Jerry Hagins, spokesman for the Texas Department of Insurance.

The gas from the exterior leak came into the building through a ventilation screen into the pipe chase and then into Apartment U-1 J, according to the statement.

Hagins declined to comment on whether the explosion was the result of poor maintenance.

"These are the preliminary results, and the final report will answer questions such as that," Hagins said.

Graduate student Saquib Ejaz's 4-year-old daughter, Lamiya Zahin, and Ejaz's mother, Rabeya Chaudhury, died as a result of injuries sustained in the explosion and fire.

Ejaz said he has seen this preliminary report but he is waiting for the final report.

"Even if the whole report is out, I do not want to relive that nightmare," Ejaz said. "Maybe someday, but reading the whole report is very painful for me."

He said his wife is making daily visits to the hospital.

"Her physical therapy may last for six months, and the whole recovery process may last for two years," Ejaz said.

Ejaz's wife Lufthansa Kanta was pregnant at the time of the explosion.

"So far the baby isOK. They did the ultrasound two weeks ago and they are going to do one (today), " Ejaz said. The due date for the baby is Dec. 18, Ejaz said.

Ejaz's father's recovery has been very slow.

"We told him about my mother and daughter. He looks very devastated. He is very shocked," Ejaz said. "Physically he is improving, but the improvement is very slow."

Ejaz said doctors will do more grafting on his father's forehead Tuesday, and that they think this will be the last one.

"Obviously, I hope that such unfortunate things never happen again. This thing was preventable, yet it cost the lives of my daughter and my mom," Ejaz said.

The State Fire Marshal's statement said the office will continue to investigate in cooperation with A&M and other investigative agencies and will work to prevent events like this in the future.

International Student Services housed residents who were displaced because of the accident temporarily at a La Quinta and provided those affected with $25 in Aggie Bucks per day if they were unmarried students and $50 per day if they had families as compensation, according to a memo sent to residents of the University Apartments that were affected by the fire.

Ejaz and his wife are living in a Galveston apartment, which the University is paying for, Ejaz said.

Visit http://www.tamu.edu/univrel/fire.html.

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