Some residents living in a downtown Winnipeg condo feel trapped in their homes after the elevators broke down in their building.
Since Tuesday, the only two elevators in the 12-storey building have been out of commission, and the company that owns the building said it could still be days before they’re fixed.
Nick Anthonisen is one of those residents stuck inside.
The 83-year-old uses a walker to get around, and is unable to leave the building. He said his son has had to bring him supplies.
“It’s irritating,” Anthonisen said. “Getting out of here is a complicated thing, and it’s much easier for my son to bring in the food and I just stay here and cross my fingers.”
According to Towers Realty Group, there was building maintenance going on Tuesday that required the electricity to be shut off. The management group said when it was turned back on, a wiring issue had occurred in both of the condos elevators.
“We’re doing absolutely everything we can in trying to resolve this situation as quickly as possible,” said Jason Van Rooy, a spokesperson for Towers Realty Group.
“Some components of the elevators were fried,” he said. “We have an electrical engineer inspecting to make sure we can determine what exactly happened, correct that situation, before we repair the elevators and turn them back on.”
The City of Winnipeg said in the event of an emergency where an elevator is not available, residents with mobility issues would be assisted by first responders who have specialized equipment – such as stair stretchers – to get people out of the building.
Towers Realty Group said they hope to have the elevators up and running by Wednesday or Thursday this coming week.
