Residents of a Near West Side senior housing building returned home Thursday after a broken water pipe forced them to evacuate last weekend.
City officials and contractors with plumbing and heating companies fixed the fire prevention system and installed a temporary boiler to restore hot water in the Patrick Sullivan Apartments, 1633 W. Madison St. A new boiler will be installed “in the next two weeks,” according to the Chicago Housing Authority.
Roughly 400 residents were forced to leave the apartment building overnight last Saturday after a pipe ruptured around 7:15 p.m. in the basement, resulting in flooding and the loss of heat and hot water, the housing authority said.
Heat was restored in the building by the next morning, but crews continued to address damage and make other repairs in the following days, officials said.
Residents temporarily moved to hotels, where they received meals and well-being checks, according to the housing authority.
Chicago Housing Authority Interim Chief Executive Officer Angela Hurlock credited CHA staff in the Property and Resident Services Department and its private partners “for navigating this unexpected challenge over these past few days.”
“It was truly a team effort and a testament to the good work of team CHA,” Hurlock said in a statement. “Most of all, we are extremely grateful to all the Patrick Sullivan residents for their patience, flexibility and overall positivity during a trying time.”