Fire, Felony | featured news

The owner of a Houston daycare center where four toddlers died in a fire that started after she left the children unattended to go shopping was sentenced on Tuesday to 80 years in prison for a felony murder conviction in one of the deaths.

A research assistant was fatally burned when chemicals burst into flame. Her death three years ago has focused attention on safety issues. Felony charges have been filed against the University of California and a UCLA chemistry professor in connection with a laboratory fire that killed a staff research assistant three years ago. On Dec. 29, 2008, Sheharbano "Sheri" Sangji, 23, was severely burned over nearly half of her body when air-sensitive chemicals burst into flames during an experiment and ignited her clothing. Sangji, who was not wearing a protective lab coat, died 18 days later.