NORWOOD, Ohio -- The residents of a Norwood apartment building who were forced out after having no heat for two days should be back in their homes by Friday night, the building owner promised.
Landlord Alex Kogan told WCPO that a new boiler is en route and about five repairmen are working to fix everything so tenants can get back into their apartments as soon as possible. Notices posted around the Harris Avenue apartments state the building is unsafe because of an inoperable boiler and broken water pipes. Everyone had to be out by 5 p.m. Thursday.
There are 30 apartments in the building. Tenants said the heat shut off at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.
"It feels just as cold as it is out here," resident Ashley Gailliez said.
The fire department went out Wednesday night to evaluate the situation. Capt. Erik Blevins said people were heating their homes with stoves and space heaters, so they called the fire inspector.
Kogan paid for 15 motel rooms for his tenants on Wednesday night. Some chose to stay in the apartments then. All the families were forced to go to the hotel on Thursday night. Tenant Michelle Wethington, with her husband and two daughters, was among those staying at a hotel.
"I am stressed," she said. "I am stressed and I have done nothing but cried for two days. I've got two kids that don't need to be going through this."
Tenant Justin Selvage said the experience has been aggravating.
"We don't know exactly what we are going to do," he said.
