BUCKHEAD, Ga. — After dealing with a gnat and insect infestation at a luxury apartment complex in Buckhead, residents said they're now worried about water and mold damage after the sprinkler system went off.
11Alive was the first to tell you about a gnat infestation at the Skyhouse Buckhead. After weeks of frustration, the bug issue was resolved last week after our story aired.
But troubles persist.
“Before I was happy, now I’m considering moving,” said Francesco Turci, a resident at Skyhouse. Turci is among those Monday who had to walk past the fans now blowing in the hallway of the apartment complex, after the fire alarm went off over the weekend, triggering the sprinkler systems and causing water to pool in the hallways and elevators.
“We evacuated immediately, while we were taking the stairs, there was water flowing in the stairs and in the elevators - it was very scary” recounted Turci.
This incident prompted the elevators to be shut down and left renters with little options but to walk up several flights of stairs in the luxury high rise. One resident who asked us not to reveal his identity says it was a difficult situation, especially for those with mobility issues.
“They were broken all day, we couldn’t go up and down at all we had to use the flights," the resident said. "I had to take 18 flights up, I live up on the 18th floor."
Skyhouse Buckhead management said it seemed the sprinkler system was intentionally messed with, which inconvenienced residents.
“On Saturday, a reprehensible act occurred when an unidentified individual intentionally damaged a sprinkler system in one of our hallway ceilings," management wrote, "resulting in water damage to a portion of the lower floors.”
In the statement, management apologized to residents for the inconvenience and they added they would be pursuing criminal charges. But, this isn’t the first incident residents have dealt with in recent months.
“It’s one thing after another, first it was the gnats and the insects that took a very long time to fix, it was kinda very frustrating and that could have been fixed very quickly,” added the resident who asked to conceal his identity.
Residents said for months they were forced to live with an insect and gnat infestation that management says was caused when another resident stuffed a carpet down the trash shoot, breaking the compactor. Now those who live there say the situation is becoming unbearable.
“It’s a shame for a building like that because I like that building but it’s really a shame” added Turci.
Still, SkyHouse management stressed, that the concerns are not due to mismanagement or negligence on their part and they add that the actions are the result of residents who live or lived in the building.