MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, Ohio — Last Friday nearly 80 residents in Mayfield Heights thought they were left without a home.
Now after an inspection of the apartment building, only 12 units were deemed unsafe to live in with the rest being able to move back into the apartments immediately.
A note was posted to the front of the building Monday morning saying that the units still considered unsafe would be fixed within "a week or two".
Residents at the Mayfield Gardens Apartments learned that they had to evacuate the building and leave their homes after the city of Mayfield Heights condemned the apartment complex.
Recently, Mayfield Gardens Apartments was purchased by new owners. Under new ownership, the apartment building underwent an inspection which showed "significant" issues within the building, leading to the evacuation of tenants.
According to Chief Bruce Elliott from the Mayfield Heights Fire Department, they did not want a repeat of what had happened at the Champlain Towers collapse in Surfside, Florida. The city deemed it was most important to evacuate the residents to keep safety a top priority.
The city of Mayfield Heights did not receive the report until late Friday and informed residents as soon as possible.
Chief Elliott said they are unsure how long the repairs will take, but the city's primary focus is getting everyone out of the building safely.
Officials confirmed that the building would need to be shored up and repaired before residents could move back. At this time, demolition has not been ruled out.
The city of Mayfield Heights is expected on Monday to follow up with the evacuation order and ensure everyone is out.
3News has reached out to the attorney of the owners of Mayfield Gardens Apartments but has not heard back.
Stick with 3News as we learn more details about this developing situation.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The video above previously aired on 3News on Dec. 24, 2021, after Lakewood residents return to apartments after being displaced.