505 apartment building could take weeks to restore power, building owner says
51 units were extensively damaged by the fire and water.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - The residents of 505 Nashville on Church Street could wait three weeks before they can move back into their units.
On Sunday, 350 units were displaced after a fire broke out in a unit on the 27th floor. The fire was caused after a resident placed a basket on the stove and it caught fire, according to the Nashville Fire Department (NFD).
The fire caused the sprinklers to turn on and extinguished it. The water from the sprinklers began to flood down to other floors and to the 24th floor to an electrical closet, according to NFD. Tony Giarratana, the developer and one of the owners of the building said a small fire started there as well.
The fire department turned off the power for the building because of the fire, and the generator kicked on. However, Giarratana said the Nashville Fire Department told them to turn the generators off.
Giarratana explained that the generators are separate from the electrical part of the building and by turning off the generators, it caused an issue for people leaving the building such as turning off the elevators and lights inside the stairwell.
Of the 350 units displaced, Giarratana said 263 units were completely unaffected by the water and fire. He said if the power generator was turned back on, those residents could reoccupy their units immediately.
Giarratana said 63 units had minor damage and 51 units were extensively damaged. He said 60 residents have asked the building to help them identify hotels, and the hotel has been giving the residents of 505 low rates for the residents displaced.
Giarratana said it could take at least three weeks before people can move back into 505 once the power is restored to the affected floors.
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