COLUMBUS, Ohio — Residents at an east side Columbus apartment complex were forced to evacuate after some pipes burst and caused electrical issues.
Columbus Division of Fire Battalion Chief Jeff Geitter said the cold started to freeze some pipes at Latitude Five25 Apartments on Sawyer Boulevard and some burst causing water damage.
The damage comes after central Ohio was hit with low temperatures and subzero wind chills brought on by a weather system that passed through this weekend.
"It's a bad Christmas day," said Lena Smith, a resident at Latitude Five 25. "We have no clothes, the food, we have nothing," she said.
Geitter said residents were offered shelter at the Dodge Park Recreation Center. He adds some were going to stay with friends or family.
Crews with the Columbus Division of Fire were on the scene assisting residents.
The American Red Cross also offered a 24-hour shelter for residents. They provided food and a warm place to sleep.
"We have some of the recreation activities open for the public while they're here. So, we've got some Christmas music playing basketball courts open for folks who may want to play basketball, the gyms open for anybody who may want to get a quick workout in," said Atticus Garden, disaster program manager for the American Red Cross.
Additionally, Columbus Public Health provided their nursing teams who were conducting screenings and working with individuals who may have medical-related questions.
"There's never a good day to experience a disaster. Certainly Christmas, Christmas makes it particularly harder. So that's why we're really grateful to our volunteers. Their sole purpose of being here is obviously to provide empathy and compassion and love and care. So, we're trying to keep spirits high and lifted," Garden said.
Earlier this year, the City of Columbus filed multiple motions against the property owners for code violations and lack of security.
At the time the city said residents had gone without electricity, hot water, elevator service and flooding throughout the property.
Additionally, the city said police have received more than 1,000 service calls between January 2020 and January 2022, including calls for shots fired, shootings, overdoses, narcotics complaints, reports of domestic violence and fights on the property.
In October, Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein said the owners were near a deal to sell the complex within the next three months.