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Resident says Detroit's Across The Park Apartments fire damage still unaddressed by building management
Latanya Martin says she and her neighbors have not been happy with the way repairs are going.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - The day after Christmas a fire forced seniors out of an apartment complex in southwest Detroit. Residents said the building had long been plagued with problems and now they don't know when the new damage will be fixed.
A FOX 2 interview with a resident interrupted by literal cries for help at the Across the Park Apartments in southwest Detroit days after it was ravaged by a fire.
But residents say they've had long-running problems before the blaze, including pipes bursting causing significant water damage and the heat going out - all amid the bone-chilling cold from this past Christmas weekend.
"The carpet hasn’t been pulled up," said Latanya Martin. "A couple of my friends' units, his ceiling fell down. There was mold on the ceiling tile."
Martin says she and her neighbors have not been happy with the way repairs are going.
"I don’t know how long this process is going to take but I think they should have called some professionals in," she said. "If your maintenance team are not professionals to take care of this type of work, you got to have somebody do it right. Instead of doing a quick fix."
FOX 2: "You don’t believe the complex brought the right people in?"
"No. I don’t, because I haven’t seen any of them," Martin said.
FOX 2 left messages with the Apartment’s management for comment. The City of Detroit’s Buildings, Safety Engineering, and Environmental Department is looking into the complaints.
The department reached out to residents and sent FOX 2 this statement:
"We were unaware that this apartment building was without heat prior to the fire. It is important that tenants give us a call at (313) 224-3114 if they are experiencing no heat no electricity or no water in their units. We will then hold the property manager or owner accountable for making the repairs as quickly as possible. We did have city representatives on site this week following the fire to provide shelter, but no one took the offer.
"Ensuring that tenants have a safe living environment is a top priority for BSEED. An inspector will contact the tenant first thing in the morning and investigate this matter."