PONTIAC, Mich. – Residents of the Carriage Place apartments in Pontiac were forced to evacuate after a water pipe burst, flooding the hallways.
The incident occurred on Tuesday (Feb. 24), causing a power outage and resulting in a loss of heat.
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Crews said they worked to stop the leak and to secure the building, while some tenants remained stranded in their apartments because elevators were out of service, residents said.
“It’s a lot of water, it’s literally going to the elevators. The elevators are cut off because there’s so much water. And people’s houses are getting flooded in too, so they’re trying to stop it, but it’s not really doing any good,” said Jessica Porter.
Porter said intermittent outages of water, power, and heat are not new at the complex, and that management has been slow to fix recurring problems.
“The people in the office, they just keep telling us, ‘Oh, we’re working on it. We’re working on it.’ But nothing’s changing. The heat still goes out. The power still goes. Out. The water still goes off from time to time. The elevator goes out, and I have my son is autistic. So when the elevator goes out, we’re stuck. I stay on the fifth floor,” Porter said.
Another tenant, Aijalah Allen, said the complex has had several recent outages and that on-site staff have not provided clear explanations.
“It was just a few, probably like two or three months ago, the water went off. We didn’t know why it was off. They really couldn’t give us an answer on what time it was going to come on, because they told us that it was going to come on the next day. But it came on in like an hour. I don’t know if they didn’t pay the bill or what was going on. But yeah, they just treat us like we’re low-income, just because we’re in low-income. Like we’re just low,” said Allen.
Resident Marquis Moore said maintenance and heating problems have persisted despite reported investments in the property.
“Living here somewhat is okay at times, but it can be difficult at times also. We’ve been working on this heat for weeks now. We’d been having this heat problem for weeks. And as you can see the pipe busted, and now is another challenge for us here at Carriage Place,” said Moore.
Pontiac Fire Chief Jim Cooper said crews stopped the leak and were concentrating on electrical safety and getting residents warm before allowing them back into the building.
“The leak has been stopped, has been controlled. We’re just worried about the electrical and also the heat for the citizens here at this location.
We had to turn both of those off in order to fix the leak. So right now we do have the citizens over at a warming center, which is the church right across the parking lot until the issue is resolved.
The goal is to get everybody back in their home tonight before the weather gets too bad. And if not, the plan would be to have them shelter in hotels and other warming areas next to close to this location."
Pontiac Fire Chief Jim Cooper
Cooper said the incident began around 6:30 p.m. and that restoration crews were working to dry floors and make the building safe.
“This happened around 6:30 this afternoon. So we’ve been here a while, but it takes that much time to get everybody on the same page, get the plan together, and then try to resolve the issue,” Cooper said.
Cooper, which manages Carriage Place, said residents moved to a nearby warming center while crews worked.
He said it would place residents in hotels if repairs take more than 24 hours.
PHC and Lighthouse are deeply concerned about the maintenance emergency that occurred today at our community, which required the temporary evacuation of residents after multiple pipes burst and the building’s heating system failed. Our foremost priority now and always is the safety, comfort, and dignity of every resident who calls this community home.
The incident was caused by a mechanical failure in the heating system, compounded by delays in receiving critical replacement parts. When the pipes ruptured and temperatures inside the building dropped, our team acted immediately to evacuate residents and prevent anyone from being placed at risk.
We want our residents to know that we understand how disruptive and stressful this situation can be. We care deeply about the families, seniors, and individuals who live here, and we are committed to supporting them through this temporary displacement. Because of this unplanned emergency, residents are being relocated temporarily for the night to local hotels. Emergency contractors, plumbers, electricians and HVAC specialists are onsite and repairs are underway now.
We are grateful for the patience and cooperation shown by our residents during this unexpected emergency. We are equally appreciative of the first responders, Woodside Bible Church and service teams who assisted with the evacuation and stabilization efforts.
Our commitment is simple:
We will not rest until the heat is fully restored; repairs are complete, and every resident can safely return to their home. We will continue to communicate updates promptly and transparently as work progresses.
Ownership remains fully engaged, fully accountable, and fully dedicated to the wellbeing of this community.
Respectfully,
Ahmad Taylor, Pontiac Housing Commission – Executive Director
Thank you."
Carriage Place Apartments ownership