Freshman physical therapy major Marissa Heller considers herself lucky, even though her clothes smell like ash and she had to move into a different residence hall as she prepares for final exams next week.

“I’m lucky in that [my stuff wasn’t damaged] … my door was knocked down, and my clothing is smoky and ashy smelling,” the former fourth-floor Kerr Hall resident said.

Heller is just one of 113 students forced to move into different residence halls because of a gas explosion, which occurred in the basement of the 91-year-old building last Wednesday afternoon.

The exact cause of the explosion is still under investigation, said KeySpan spokeswoman Carmen Fields. Employees of KeySpan, a gas, heating and air conditioning company, were working in the alley behind the building the day of and prior to the incident.

Northeastern officials do not know the number of people who were in Kerr at the time of the explosion, but seven people, including students, staff and faculty, were sent to area hospitals with minor injuries.

Heller was just leaving her residence hall to attend her 1:35 p.m. class when the explosion happened.

“I was walking out of the building to go to class. I was opening the front door and I got pushed out of the building. As I was running, I saw black smoke and teachers screaming ‘run,’ so I just ran away as fast as I could,” she said.

Since Kerr and the Faculty Lounge inside the building have been shut down for at least the rest of the semester, former residents have been placed in residence halls around campus, said Associate Dean of Housing Services Marina Iannalfo. However, students were allowed to return to the building Thursday to collect their belongings, and moving companies were on hand to help students move their possessions into their new assigned residences.

Freshman business major Kenny Erath packed up his clothes and possessions in boxes and was awaiting their arrival Friday.

“The moving process has been slow. I don’t have any of my clothes. They let us in [Thursday] and hired a moving company to move all of our stuff to the new dorms, but it’s not here yet. Hopefully I’ll get it [Friday],” said Erath, who now lives in a double in Stetson East.

Erath, who was in his room when the explosion occurred, said he has skipped some of his classes since the incident because he doesn’t have all of his class materials. For the most part, he said, his professors have been lenient and understanding about his situation.

Residents said the university has been e-mailing them to keep them informed of what is happening as a result of the incident.

Freshman business major Stacey Davis said the university has been in constant communication with her through e-mail about the situation. The former fifth-floor Kerr resident now lives in a double in West Village A.

The university is also offering to pay to have students’ clothes cleaned if they were damaged from the explosion, Iannalfo said. Students whose clothes were damaged can fill out a claim form at SpeareCommons.

Iannalfo also said Kerr residence hall staff are working on a programming activity to bring together the students who were living in Kerr before they return home for the summer.

As for the repair of the building, Northeastern spokesman Fred McGrail said although there was considerable smoke damage, warped floors and damage to the walls, the building is structurally sound and the university anticipates it will be ready for the fall semester.

McGrail said the cost and the extent of the damage to the building are still being determined.

While university and KeySpan workers scramble to fix the problems around Kerr, Heller is scrambling to find the time, and place, to study before finals.

“The timing is good and bad. Thankfully I only have next week to worry about living in a different place, but I also have three finals next week. I’m going to have to spend a lot of time in the library,” she said.