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Neighbors relieved after non-stop alarms are turned off in vacant condo
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The owner of a condo finally was able to turn off the alarms after the noise plagued residents for several days. Video by ktnv.com
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Henderson, NV (KTNV) - A Henderson couple can sleep peacefully after enduring two weeks of smoke detectors blaring in a neighboring condo.
"We have our peace and quiet back again in the neighborhood," said Dennis Berkesch, whose condo shares a wall with the neighboring unit.
Berkesch first turned to the fire department and community manager; when they couldn't help, he turned to Action News. Turns out, the Henderson condo is currently unoccupied. Action News was able to track down the owners last week near Youngstown, Ohio.
Owner Linda Bennett said our phone calls were the first she heard of the problem. She traveled to Las Vegas over the weekend to silence the alarms, all six of them.
"It was very frustrating, particularly because we couldn't get anything done about it and no one seemed to have an answer to the problem," Berkesch said.
Henderson Fire Chief Steven Goble said alarms in unoccupied homes have become a growing problem across the region.
"Our sense of it is there's just a higher vacancy rate in homes around the area and that leads for opportunity for these kind of things to happen," said Goble.
While the city said firefighters responded to the condo on Jan. 3 to check the alarm, Goble said firefighters will not break into a home without clear signs of an emergency.
"It's a pain. It's a nuisance. We get that. I feel for the gentleman that can hear the alarm but it's not an emergency," said Goble. "If the building were on fire, we'd certainly make access."
So what can you do? Goble recommends leaving a key to your home with a trusted friend or family member. You can also provide a neighbor with a phone number.
"The problem is easily resolved once someone with the ability to make entry into the home is notified," Goble said.
In cases where no one lives at the property, you can look up the owner through the assessor's office.
"Now we have the number for the resident," Berkesch said. "They were very apologetic for the problem and we said we'd work with them, keep an eye on the place for them until they get back."
For the neighborhood, the silence is golden.
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