Jacksonville, FL — Nearly 200 elderly people who were displaced by a fire at Jacksonville Townhouse Apartments are waiting to find out when they will return home.
“It’s a big mess with a capital ‘M’ for a lot of people, senior people, elderly people that have mobility problems, sick people,” said George Prieto, who is staying at the shelter while he waits to return home.
The Section 8 housing for low-income seniors where Prieto and the others have been living was due for inspection by HUD this year.
Action News Jax uncovered that there’s no record that inspection ever happened.
That inspection would have included looking for fire safety deficiencies.
Jacksonville Townhouse Apartment’s most recent HUD inspection was dated Feb. 2014.
Update from #Jacksonville Townhouse Apartments' management company below. Some power has been restored to building after fire, but still no word on when 200 people can come home. Live at 5 on CBS47 @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/cDzxIw00e6
— Jenna Bourne (@jennabourneWTSP) December 19, 2017
HUD Jacksonville Field Office Senior Management Analyst Matthew Stewart said HUD housing that scores 90 points or above on inspection only has to be inspected every three years.
Jacksonville Townhouse Apartments scored 93 in Feb. 2014, but there’s no record an inspection happened , or was scheduled to happen, this year.
Stewart said HUD is looking into why there’s no record of an inspection in the system and will get back to Action News Jax.
In the meantime, family members like Pam Kessler are trying to get the medications their loved ones had to leave behind in the chaos.
“I have been waiting [outside] because there’s only a few members of the management team that are struggling, going up and down the stairs to get medication for other residents,” said Kessler.
Kessler’s daughter and the others have no idea when they’ll get to go home.
“Right now, it’s a little bit unknown because it’s right here at Christmas time and the belongings that she had that were up for Christmas, that’s pretty much gone. And she’s on a limited income, so she’s going to struggle. But she’ll still have love,” said Kessler.
On Tuesday morning, the building’s management company, Cambridge Management, said most people would be able to return home later that day.
By Tuesday afternoon, that message changed; now management is not sure when people will be able to go back home,
Sky Action News Jax spotted restoration crews working to get the apartments cleaned up.
An Action News Jax Investigation on Monday uncovered that leadership at Jacksonville Townhouse Apartments told the Fire Marshal they would replace a broken fire pump there Dec. 17 -- the day before Monday morning’s fire injured six people.
Action News Jax found that management never even requested a permit to do the work.
The fire marshal instructed apartment management in a Dec. 1 email that the building must either evacuate or start an hourly “fire watch.”
Jacksonville Fire Marshal Chief Kevin Jones said management should have kept a log of who patrolled, and when, but right now he’s not sure if such a log exists.
You can help the people who were forced out of their homes by this fire.
The American Red Cross is asking people to bring donations of clothes in all sizes.
You can bring those donations to Faith United Methodist Church on 4000 Spring Park Road
#Jacksonville Townhouse Apartments scored "93b"in most recent HUD inspection. The "b" signifies that while there were non-life threatening deficiencies, inspectors found no fire/life-threatening deficiencies. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/e1T6YYKUfv
— Jenna Bourne (@jennabourneWTSP) December 19, 2017