ORLANDO, Fla. – Several people were displaced Tuesday when the main chiller broke in a downtown Orlando apartment building, firefighters said.
Crews responded to City View, an apartment building in the 500 block of Church Street that had to be evacuated after the broken chiller caused flooding from the third floor down, the Orlando Fire Department said on social media.
Seventy-six units were affected, the post states.
“The water was coming through the walls. Yeah, like, it was weird; the bathroom wall, the side walls, the hallway was bombarded (...) the actual roof caved in with water streaming through. Yeah, it was a bad, bad leak,“ one resident told News 6. “Big surge of water. The whole second floor was basically underwater, maybe to your ankles. Everybody was sweeping, trying to do the right thing, trying to help each other out.”
The scene was eventually turned over to property management, according to the posts.
The City View apartment complex provided the following statement to News 6 regarding the issues:
“The health, safety, and comfort of our residents is a top priority. We are working closely with city officials, the fire department, and highly skilled contractors to complete repairs and limit disruptions.
The damaged pipe has been fixed, temporary AC units have been installed, and we anticipate all interrupted systems will be up and running very soon.All residents have access to their homes, and we appreciate their cooperation as the clean-up and remediation takes place to ensure their spaces remain livable.
We have assisted in finding hotel rooms and covering expenses for a small number of residents who have chosen this option. We’re proactively notifying residents of progress and encourage those with any questions or needs to contact us directly through phone, email, or a visit to the management office.”
City View Apartment Complex spokesperson
One resident, Jensine Moya, recorded water spilling down the walls of the complex on Tuesday evening, which poured into her second-floor apartment.
“The water was seeping through the elevators. I have video of that, too. They’re both elevators,” she said. “All the water was just piling up, all the water from the hallway was collecting in my apartment. It was just crazy. It’s a real-life Titanic situation.”
Moya said water seeped through her floors, walls, and outlets, destroying everything inside and causing up to $7,000 in damage.
She also confirmed she was placed in a hotel temporarily, though she’ll need to find somewhere else to stay by Thursday. As of now, she plans to stay with friends until the issue is resolved.
When asked what she believes the apartment complex should do, Moya said, “Definitely move me to a different unit, free of charge, same rent.”
Just around the corner, the flooding also affected nearby businesses.
“It started trickling down to the ceiling here, and then I guess it all started to give way. It caused flooding everywhere, and I had to push my appointment back,” said Jared Arthur, a barber at the nearby Sonjae’s Health and Beauty Bar. “Once you got one problem, it trickles down to the other businesses or the other apartments.”
Carmen Diaz, who lives on the eighth floor, said the flooding shut the elevators down.
“We have to use the stairway, which I am not allowed to because I have injuries on my right leg, but I’m forced to,” she said.
Diaz also noted that the water damage is now affecting the air conditioning system in the building.