Lynn apartment building ruled uninhabitable

LYNN – City inspectors declared a West Lynn apartment building uninhabitable Friday and ordered five families living in it out after finding spilled heating oil and sewage in the basement.”It was full of trash,” said Fire Capt. Robert Bourke.The discovery occurred Wednesday when firefighters were called to 42 River St. to fight a small basement fire. They put out the fire before it caused significant damage but the spilled oil and sewage leaking from a floor drain prompted firefighters to contact city inspectors who posted the wooden, three-story building Friday with an orange placard reading, “Keep Out Uninhabitable.”The building’s 85-year-old owner, William Harritos, objected when cleanup crews from Lynn-based Removal Specialists arrived at his building at 11 a.m. Friday. Police responded to River Street and calmed Harritos who stood by while workers ran a heavy hose into the basement and set up metal drums.”I’m doing the best I can. I do everything myself. I don’t hurt anybody,” he said.An inventory specialist also stood by tallying up and writing down descriptions of items taken from the basement. Workers tossed contaminated debris into a large trash container. Bourke said other items would be taken to a local storage warehouse.Bourke said Red Cross and Housing Authority officials aided in relocating Harritos’ tenants, including a couple and their five children. Bourke was not sure where Harritos, a former Lynn firefighter and veteran, planned to stay.Utility crews shut off natural gas and electrical service to the building.A neighbor who declined to be identified described Harritos as “a nice guy who is good to his tenants; doesn’t charge them much.”Bourke said conditions in 42 River’s basement posed potential harm to tenants and Harritos. Exhaust vent pipes installed to channel furnace fumes out of the building were broken and soot from the furnace covered the basement ceiling, he said.”He put his tenants at risk,” said city Inspectional Services Director Michael Donovan.Bourke did not know how long the oil pipes had been leaking but said Harritos may have installed the pipes himself.Donovan said initial investigation indicated heating oil leaked or was pumped into city sewer lines. He said state environmental protection officials were alerted to the contamination.Donovan said Harritos can gain access to his building if he applies for city permits to repair oil lines and make other repairs to conform with building codes.