Over a dozen people without heat at East Hills apartment complex where deadly fire happened

PITTSBURGH — More than a dozen people are without heat at an East Hills apartment complex.

Channel 11 has learned at least 18 units are cold at the Maple Ridge Apartments.

“It’s a scary situation if you don’t know what to do,” Ashley Lee told Channel 11. She’s in one of the frozen units. “[I] put blankets on my windows, barricaded things off. I bought a small heater just so I could heat things up, but I’m scared because there have been incidents with heaters.”

It’s just the latest issue for tenants there. At the end of December, a two-year-old girl died in a fire that displaced 11 families.

>> ‘She was a joy’ Maple Ridge tenants come together in grief after 2-year-old dies from apartment fire

That incident kicked off a deeper look into conditions at the federally funded complex.

District 9 Councilman Khari Mosley spent much of Tuesday touring units with Mayor Ed Gainey and others, including the city’s Office of Permits, Licenses and Inspections.

“A number of units have been condemned,” Mosley said. “In some units, the top burners were on to stay warm. It’s a really dangerous situation.”

>>> Child dies after fire at East Hills apartment building; another child in critical condition

Tenants in those condemned units are being put up in the Extended Stay America hotel in Monroeville. It’s being paid for by the county department of human services.

Mosley says he’s been in contact with the New York/New Jersey-based management company but has not been able to reach the Seattle-based owner.

“We’ve already had one tragedy. We can’t afford another,” Mosley said.

There is no timetable for when the heating systems will be fixed.

Mosley is encouraging all affected tenants to take advantage of the help.

Meantime, Congresswoman Summer Lee issued the following statement:

“What’s happening is unacceptable - these private landlords have the legal and moral obligation to ensure that their tenants have heat and their units are habitable. If they can’t fix the problem now, then they have to pay for another place for folks to stay until they can. These low temperatures are dangerous and people need help immediately. We’ll be working closely with tenants, local elected officials, ACHD, PLI, and HUD to make this happen now, and will continue to be engaged until my constituents are safe.

Our communities deserve better than what we’re seeing in their housing options across PA-12 as private equity giants have turned affordable housing into a commodity, putting profits ahead of people’s basic needs. Families are left living in unsafe and unhealthy conditions while these landlords and corporations cut corners just to pad their bottom lines. It’s time to hold them accountable—not just to stricter laws, but to the people whose lives and homes are at stake.

The reality is the current system is horribly failing residents. We’ve spoken to many families across our district who are living without heat, with rodents, missing floor boards, and other unsafe conditions while their landlords still turn a profit.

That’s why we’re pushing for stronger federal oversight, increased HUD funding, and legislative changes to stop bad-actor landlords from exploiting our most vulnerable neighbors. If families report unsafe conditions, repairs must happen immediately, and we need to ensure these landlords and owners face real consequences when they fail to meet their obligations.

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