Midtown apartment residents without heat, hot water four weeks after carbon monoxide leak

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - It’s been four weeks since residents were rushed out of their apartments at The Venue on Central Avenue due to a carbon monoxide leak that killed some family pets and sent some residents, including a first responder to the hospital.

Residents tell Action News 5 they still have no heat or hot water.

It’s a huge concern for many living at The Venue, especially as we are just a couple of days away from dangerously cold temperatures.

“Boiling water and trying to take a hot bath,” said resident Carla Thompson “You know it’s just getting outrageous.”

The day the leak happened, Memphis Fire says work was being done on the building’s boiler.

Carla Thompson has lived here for nine years and believes residents are at their wits’ end.

“We’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting, so it’s getting to a point now where people are actually without breaking the lease, they’re just leaving they don’t even care anymore because it’s that cold,” said Thompson.

Stella Marris Property Management, who manages the Venue tells Action News 5 they’ll hopefully have everything back on Wednesday.

“We are waiting for code to inspect and MLGW to turn the gas back on.” Chief Operating Manager Pam Anderson said “We have given rent concession for some of the inconvenience to the residents and have worked tirelessly to get this issue resolved.”

Thompson and residents like Thomas Detrich are skeptical about that news and focusing on what they’ll do to keep warm another night.

“Okay we’ll see how that turns out but honestly I don’t see that happening,” said Thompson.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” said resident Thomas Detrich.

Temperatures are expected in the teens Thursday night.

“Electric heaters and we can only use two heaters at one time because it blows the fuse, sometimes it blows the fuse even with two and we’re lucky we have all night with them,” said Detrich.

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