PITTSBURGH — The City of Pittsburgh and the Department of Permits, Licenses, and Inspections (PLI) has issued a condemnation and evacuation order for Skyvue Apartments in Oakland.
City officials said the action is a result of an urgent evaluation of the building’s elevators after emergency responders were called to assist a resident in need of medical attention. The resident had to be carried down several flights of stairs because all four elevators in the 13-story high-rise were not working.
Given requirements in state and local building and fire codes, high-rise buildings are required to have an appropriate number of operable elevators to ensure that residents can safely move throughout the building, city officials said.
The condemnation and evacuation order is in place for floors 5 and higher. Residents on those floors are required to evacuate no later that 7 p.m. Friday.
Skyvue Apartments management team has made PLI aware that they’re working to repair at least one elevator.
Residents told Channel 11 they were shocked, some thought it was a prank.
It’s not the first time elevators have been an issue.
“There have been similar issues like this before, but not so extreme. Not four of them are all down,” Cuimin Ba said.
She and others were given just hours’ notice.
“That is pretty annoying that I have to move out and, also, I have a cat, so I hope he’s fine,” a resident named Karen said.
“This means I have to pack all my stuff within an hour and I still have multiple package to get [from] the 13th floor,” Ba said.
The apartment building opened in 2016 and caters largely to students. One man told us he just graduated and was supposed to move out this weekend. He has a flight scheduled for Monday.
“They told me I’m not allowed to enter the building this weekend; at least this weekend,” he said. “We don’t accept that they’re giving us no help when we are moving out given the circumstances.”
PLI urges any resident of Skyvue Apartments who hasn’t already contacted building management to make alternative living arrangements do so immediately.
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