The heat went off around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Sarah Allen Senior Home in Mantua and the temperature dropped quickly.
By noon, it was 56 degrees in one apartment.
Not below freezing, but uncomfortable for seniors who are extra sensitive to the cold.
"I have on layers and long johns and tights and I'm still cold," resident Elaine Keys said.
Repair technicians spent several hours working on the boiler.
In the meantime, relatives came running to the rescue with space heaters.
"She's 68 years old, plus she's a diabetic. She's up there now so I said, 'Mom, I'll be back with your heater,'" Vernita Terrell-Roseborough said. The complex is federally subsidized senior housing.
Management had been planning to relocate residents to other buildings and hotel rooms.
But, by mid-afternoon, the repairs were complete.
It'll take a couple of hours for the hot water in the system to circulate throughout the entire building.
The manager says the seniors will soon be back at their comfort level.
"The average room is about 70 degrees right now in our units. Most of our tenants like their heat in the area of 80 to 85, so there's a 15 degree temperature swing for them," manager Timothy Cooper told Action News Tuesday afternoon.
The seniors will not have to be relocated and should have a comfortable night.
