Must Watch: KFOR news crew chases down staff at apartments still without heat
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — Those living at the Foxcroft Apartments in Oklahoma City have been without heat since at least October, according to tenants. With temperatures this weekend dipping to 10 degrees with wind chills below zero degrees, the tenants are feeling more desperate than ever.
Thursday was the third time this month KFOR has gone to the apartment complex located at 6810 NW 16th St., and each time there was no heat. None of the apartment staff will give us comment or give us the number of someone to talk to.
Tenant Sandra Hickey said she's been using the heat from her kitchen oven to warm up her apartment.
"My electric bill went from $45 to over $100 because of the temperature getting so cold that I had to use my oven for heat," she said.
She calls the situation unfair.
“It’s not right," she said of apartment management. "We pay our rent. Part of our rent goes towards the heat and they’re not turning it on. Every time we talk to them, they get real rude with us.”
Eva Aguirre's concern is for her two young kids who keep complaining to her about how cold it is.
"The little one, he's been getting sicker and he gets cold, runny noses and I tell my husband I'm getting tired of this," she expressed.
The City of Oklahoma City told us they issued a citation to the apartment complex owner on December 14. They also said the complex had hired a plumbing contractor. The heating failure is reported to be the result of a gas leak. As of two weeks ago, the contractor was struggling to find the leak.
On Thursday, KFOR approached two different individuals who exited the main office that tenants told us worked there. Neither individual would provide comment or give us the contact info for someone to speak with.
Tenants continue to wait, now bracing up for a frigid weekend.
"I'm going to try the best that I can to keep them warm this weekend," Aguirre said of her children.
"I'm going to make sure I've got lots of blankets because it's going to be bitter cold in that apartment," Hickey added.
Two weeks ago, The City of OKC told KFOR they've been been monitoring the apartments. Thursday, they were unable to provide anyone to give an update on the situation.