A week after being left in the cold, Pontiac residents see relief

PONTIAC (WXYZ) - Residents of a Pontiac apartment complex are finally seeing some relief nearly a week after a broken boiler left them in the cold.

Tenants of the Edgewood Park Apartments say they lost heat on January 19. City inspectors, who visited the property on Friday, believe the broken boiler caused the water pipes to freeze. Those pipes burst causing the ceiling to collapse in at least two apartments on Thursday.

Millie Nieves was renting one of those units. The room where two of her daughters sleep is covered in debris.  She says the apartment offered no assistance until Action News and city officials got involved.

“They had empty apartments,” said Nieves. “At least until they get this fixed she could’ve transferred me, but no, she didn’t even do that.”

Pontiac building inspectors say the apartment has agreed to fix the heat in all 28 units by the end of Friday. City officials will once again visit the complex on Saturday and Monday to ensure the problem is fixed. State officials will review the issue regarding the boiler.

City officials say apartment managers will relocate the tenant in one of the damaged units. The tenants in the other unit will remain in their apartment until they move out in March. Their unit should see some repairs starting Monday.

Office managers at the apartment declined to make any comment.