Tenants evicted from Swissvale apartment building deal with CO2 leak

SWISSVALE, Pa.,None — Residents living in a Swissvale apartment building were told on Jan. 24 that they had one month to vacate the building.

The Borough of Swissvale said the building was deemed unsafe and unfit to live in. Notices telling residents about the building being condemned were placed on doors Friday.

People that live in the building on McClure Avenue said they were also told the water will be shut off within the next week.

Residents told Channel 11’s Dave Bondy that several windows in the building are cracked, which contributes to a high heating bill. They also said they’re worried about a fire due to the electrical system.

Charlotte Booker, who lives in the building, said she has offered the building owner, Michael Sturdivant, to do repairs.

“We were going to help do it so that we wouldn’t lose our place of residence,” Booker said. “But he left and never bought any supplies or anything. Then we found out we had no hope even if we tried to restore the building.”

Swissvale Fire Chief Clyde Wilhelm said the tenants ran into another problem Thursday as they started their process of moving out.

“The tenants are trying to get relocated out of the building and this is a classic example of what they’ve been experiencing,” Wilhelm said. “Upon our arrival and investigation, we found high levels of carbon monoxide coming from a furnace in an apartment.”

A woman who is eight months pregnant, her 4-year-old daughter and a mover were all taken to a local hospital to be checked out Thursday. Their names and conditions have not been released.

Although the 30-day notice to vacate the building is still in effect, most tenants said they’re not going to wait that long because of the safety concerns.

WPXI