INDIANAPOLIS — No power at an east side apartment building has left residents frustrated and questioning who's responsible.
The power has been out at one of the two Irvington Loft apartment buildings since Sunday.
Eric Kaylor said he has to use his flashlight as he walks in and out the building.
"I am lighting candles, flashlights, charging the phone in the car, eating a lot of McDonalds and KFC things like that. We can't cook because it's all electric here," said Kaylor.
He's not the only one that's been left in the dark for more than 72 hours.
Irvington Lofts management says the utility company, AES, had a transformer that blew on Sunday and caused the electrical panel to have damage. It said the apartment complex has been working to get the lights back on since Sunday, but the parts needed won't arrive for another 5 to 7 days.
AES said it didn't have any equipment failures and that it was Irvington Lofts faulty equipment that caused the power outage. AES said the property has to pass an electrical inspection by the city before crews can safely restore power.
"It's been really bad. They keep coming saying it's going to be fixed and then they don't," said Barrett.
"Last night the hallway lights came on but you have people going to hotels so it's hard," he said.
Besides being in the dark, resident Jane Barrett said many have been forced to throw out groceries.
"I had chicken breast and I had ground sirloin, Tilapia, Catfish and sausage. I had eggs, condiments, grapes, peaches and what I carried out is not all of it. It's just all I could lift," said Barrett.
"I've lost some. Luckily, I took some of my stuff and my neighbors stuff and put it in freezer," said Kaylor. "My neighbor is home bound and all of her meals are prepared. She lost those."
Barrett along with other residents and caretakers are hoping to be reimbursed for the money they're continuing to lose.
"I've lost at least $100 just in groceries, for the inconvenience. We don't have hot water. I've been having to take a cold sponge bath and some people they aren't," said Barrett.
"Well obviously now the food is going bad," said Behavior Specialist, Rachel Beck.
Irvington Lofts said residents can reach out to the on-site property manager for reimbursement and make a claim with their renter's insurance.
As far as who's responsible for maintenance and repair costs, an AES spokesperson says that will be determined upon investigation.
"Fix it. Please," said one resident.
The Marion County Health Department said it filed an emergency order for no electricity. That means Irvington Lofts has 24 hours to get the power restored or the violation will be filed in court.
Mary Allen
Regional Property Manager
"On Sunday October 22 at approximately 2:15 AES Indiana had a transformer that blew and caused our electrical panel to have damage. We have diligently been working on this since Sunday. The electrical contractor that we have hired has ordered the parts needed to restore the electric, however the parts are unfortunately 5 to 7 days out. Our residents are our priority, and we are doing everything we can to resolve this quickly."
AES statement:
"On Sunday, October 22, AES Indiana was directed by the Indianapolis Fire Department Battalion Chief to disconnect power to Irvington Lofts after IFD responded to a call about smoke caused by faulty equipment. AES crews noted that the equipment shorted out, caught fire and was no longer capable of serving the apartment. Once the customer makes the necessary repairs and passes an electrical inspection by the City of Indianapolis Code Enforcement our crews can safely restore power to this customer. Maintenance and repair costs will be determined upon investigation."
The Marion County Public Health Department states:
"While they have been working to resolve the issue, some units are still without electricity as of now which requires an emergency order to be issued by MCPHD. We issued the order today and will file for court tomorrow afternoon unless something changes. We typically reinspect before filing for court, but we will file it for court tomorrow afternoon presuming nothing changes with the status of the needed repairs by then. The order is necessary since there is a violation. And having no electricity is an emergency order requiring it be brought into compliance within 24 hours."
