Detroit apartment residents at 6 days with no heat in frigid temps

DETROIT (WJBK) - Imagine living in this dangerous cold with no heat, it's a horrible reality for people at one Detroit apartment building.

FOX 2 first brought you the story Tuesday as Granada Gardens residents said they've waited several days, and still have no heat. The apartments are on Greenfield just south of Fenkell.  

Some residents, like Rosalind Pruiett had no heat for days and like her, have had to try to keep warm by boiling water and using her oven. That's not safe and it violates a city ordinance. 

But management said there would be heat in the apartments.

On Tuesday FOX 2 asked when the residents will have heat. "It'll be today, for sure today," said a woman in the management office.

Well, that was Tuesday. Today is Wednesday - but still nothing - which makes it six days for Pruiett with no "real" heat.

FOX 2: "How are you surviving here?"

"With the oven and the stove," Pruiett said.

FOX 2 found a man that said he's from management and is fixing the heat.

"We don't know what's wrong with (the heat)," said Ron Dorsey. "But it will be up and running. It didn't work, it was just down. We are getting the parts we need." 

Granada Gardens management said if there was no heat, they would buy space heaters for their tenants. Detroit officials said they know about the apartments.

"That's not acceptable," said David Bell, director of Building Safety Engineering and Environment. "The landlord is not taking care of this in a timely manner so we've issued about $3,200 in tickets."

And they still have to fix the heat.  Of course, if the landlord wants to challenge the $3,200 in blight violations, he can go to court.

"I'm tired, and I'm upset about this whole thing," said Pruiett.

"When you've got situations where people are without heat for days and days on end and it feels like these landlords are not addressing it in a timely manner," Bell said. "We're going to make these landlords feel it."