CLEVELAND, Ohio — News 5 continues to Follow-Through on the stories that matter to you.
When others leave, we return.
Wednesday morning, we brought you breaking coverage on Good Morning Cleveland—as dozens of residents were forced out of their downtown high-rise apartments.
RELATED: Cleveland Fire responds to Ohio City Funeral home fire, downtown high rise incident minutes apart
A fire started in the trash chute at The Luckman apartments at the corner of East 12th Street and Chester Avenue.
Residents claim the larger issue was pipes bursting and extreme flooding throughout their building.
They say they've experienced leaks at The Luckman, but nothing quite like this.
They say it was so bad the firefighters struggled to get up the stairwell.
Some tenants are now planning to move out after a series of prior issues leading up to this point.
Andi Wilson, a tenant at the building, saw extreme flooding and a deluge of water inside of the high-rise apartments.
She took cell phone video that showed water rushing and ceilings leaking to the point where the water was literally falling onto residents as they evacuated the building.
Several inches of water soaked the carpets, lobby, and virtually everyone inside from the sixth floor down.
"I was soaked from here to here! All the way down to my feet. So, I mean it was really pelting you. It was pelting you hard enough where it hurt, if it hit your skin. It was freezing cold. Tons and tons of water," Wilson said.
News 5 was there when residents were forced out Wednesday morning.
We followed firefighters as they swarmed the building just before 2 a.m.
Wilson says the fire alarms go off frequently here.
But this time she knew it was serious when smoke started filling the hallways as her neighbors sprinted to safety.
Firefighters got the fire under control, but it re-ignited shortly after.
The Cleveland Fire Public Information Officer confirmed to News 5 that a broken standpipe caused the flooding.
That standpipe is used to transfer water from a water supply to their hoses.
The issue left the building and tenants soaked.
Clean-up is still ongoing as fans and dehumidifiers run in the building around the clock.
Repairs are now expected to cost upwards of $450,000.
This does not include the loss tenants experienced.
"It was like the Titanic. All of the water was falling all over us and then we had to sprint down the stairs to get through the water. People were carrying their animals and trying to get through it. It was bad," Wilson said.
Wilson admits she was a little scared, but she says she's grateful no one was hurt and everyone is safe.
News 5 reached out to apartment management at the Luckman.
We are still waiting to hear back.
Stay with News 5 for the latest.
