The fire started by Shamsud-Din Jabbar at a rented house in the Faubourg Marigny was supposed to be bigger, ATF investigators said, but the flames ran out of oxygen before they could spread.
Joshua Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans ATF office, said they determined that Jabbar used matches to set fire in a linen closet next to the rental unit’s washer and dryer, shortly before he left around 12:15 a.m. on January 1.
Accelerants meant to grow the fire were spread in other rooms of the Mandeville St. house. Agents believe Jabbar meant to burn down the entire building in order to destroy evidence of his crimes.
But the enclosed area where he started the fire ran out of air, depriving the fire of the oxygen it needed before it could spread to the areas where the accelerants were placed.
A neighbor smelled smoke shortly after 5:15 a.m. Wednesday and called 911. Firefighters put out the smoldering fire, and upon noticing the evidence in the rental, notified law enforcement. ATF and the FBI arrived to secure the location.