ALEXANDRIA, Va. — It's day two of an evacuation from a 140-unit apartment building in Alexandria where there is no air conditioning and no power. Electricians could be seen working throughout the day Tuesday at the Key Towers at 6060 Key Court in Alexandria to repair what a Dominion Energy spokesman called a "main power line" inside the building that had failed.
Dominion Energy said the line belongs to the property owner and is not part of the Dominion system. A crew was on-site to ensure the power supply to the building was securely cut off while electricians worked to resolve the problem that has extended into the second day of the mandatory evacuation for residents of the building in the midst of a crushing heatwave.
Temperatures reached the mid-90s in Alexandria on Tuesday and have reached much higher levels in areas inside the building, according to a spokesman for the Alexandria Fire/EMS service.
According to WUSA9's verify team, landlords are not required to supply air conditioning to tenants. However, the complete power blackout in the building makes it impossible to run fans, auxiliary AC units, lights or appliances, which makes the building unsafe for habitation, according to Alexandria authorities.
Residents were being allowed to enter their units with property managers for just a few minutes Tuesday to collect belongings while they are staying elsewhere. Many residents said they have been promised reimbursement for being displaced.
Alexandria emergency managers have opened a daytime cooling center at the nearby Patrick Henry Elementary School, but most residents have gone to motels or chosen to stay with friends and family, according to a spokesman.
The power outage began Monday before dawn and tripped the building's fire alarm system, according to resident Dion Anjoujuse.
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