Assistant dies of fire injuries
By Carolyn McGough
Jan. 20, 2009 9:55 p.m.
A UCLA research assistant died on Jan. 16 after incurring injuries following a December laboratory fire.
The 22-year old victim, whose name was Sheharbano Sangji, was left with second- and third-degree burns covering 40 percent of her body, according to a UCLA statement.
Campus officials are in touch with the family, said Phil Hampton, a UCLA spokesman.
“This is a tragic accident that saddens the campus community,” Hampton said.
A chemical fire on Dec. 29 in UCLA’s Molecular Sciences building caused the accident.
The victim was working with the highly flammable compound t-butyl lithium, according to Daily Bruin archives. She was extracting the compound when the stopper on her syringe became undone.
The chemical was exposed to air, thus igniting the fire.
A colleague extinguished the flames, and the victim was then treated at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, according to the archives.
The victim was then transferred to the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks, where she regrettably passed away, Hampton said.
UCLA’s Environment, Health and Safety department is currently investigating the fire.
“Lab safety is an important campus priority, and as a result of this tragic accident, lab safety protocols are being reviewed to ensure that a tragedy like this doesn’t happen again,” Hampton said.
