Hill District apartment building residents left with no heat after water main break

PITTSBURGH — A water main break in the Hill District has become a dangerous situation after crews discovered it also involves a gas line.

The leak has left people who live in the Allegheny Union Plaza apartment building along Centre Avenue without heat.

"I'm gonna go put my fur on and sit in my house!" said one resident.

WPXI's Marlisa Goldsmith spoke to residents of the building -- see what's being done for them as they endure this situation, on Channel 11 News starting at 5 p.m.

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Water from the break is flowing down the side of the road and onto sidewalks where it has frozen.

Car tires are frozen to the street because they have been sitting here for over a day and the water keeps coming.

The complication came when workers discovered water from the main break was leaking into gas lines. People's Gas tells Channel 11 they had to wait for Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority to shut the water off, but PWSA crews had a rough time because the valves were frozen.

In the meantime, Channel 11 saw the building's management company, Allegheny Housing Rehabilitation Corporation, delivering cases of water to tenants.

But the problem goes beyond the apartment complex.

A neighboring church tells Channel 11 they canceled their after-school programs because of the water issues.

"I wasn't sure whether they were going to turn our water off," said the Rev. Leslie Boone of Warren United Methodist Church. "We have about 24 little people who use the restroom, so we postponed them being here today."

Once the water company did their part to get rid of the water from the gas lines, People's Gas was able to get in the apartment building, remove water from the gas lines and check their integrity.

Now service technicians have to go into each of the 60 apartments to make sure it's safe to turn the gas back on and re-light the appliances.

Channel 11 reached out to the management group to see if arrangements will be made for residents staying here with no heat, and they said space heaters have been distributed.

Cox Media Group