Residents in Holmesburg section of Philadelphia suffer through early heat wave without air conditioning
With temperatures soaring, some residents in a Philadelphia apartment building have no working air conditioning. Tenants at Park Terrace Apartments in Holmesburg said the conditions inside are dangerous, especially for older residents, young children and those with health problems.
When Mary Laughlin woke up this morning, she said the temperature inside her apartment was already 83 degrees, and it's been steadily climbing since then to near triple digits.
"I was cleaning up the counter, and I'm like, what is all over the counter? The butter was completely melted all over the counter," Laughlin said.
She says the air conditioning was supposed to be turned on for the apartments more than a week ago, but it never came on.
She has three fans blowing, but it's not enough. And she's not the only one suffering.
"There's 183 units. There's a lot of old people, health issues. I don't know how they're breathing," Laughlin said.
Lorrie Reilly, who lives down the hall, said she had to rescue her cats from her hot apartment Monday night, and she's worried about her neighbors, who may not be able to leave, including older residents and young children.
"Right now I feel like I'm actually in a sauna," Reilly said. "I usually can take the heat, but this is beyond anything that anyone can understand unless you've actually lived it."
In an email to residents, Rushmore Management said an outside contractor is continuing repairs and they've made the air-conditioned lounge and yoga room available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Some tenants said it's not enough. CBS News Philadelphia reached out to the management company for comment but has not heard back.
Rushmore also said it hopes to have repairs completed by Thursday. The worst of the heat wave will be over by then.
"They owe us an explanation, a decent explanation, why they couldn't get this fixed beforehand," resident Jenny Crotts said. "The heat is just unbearable."