What’s next for Independence Towers residents after fire displaced dozens of units

The fire that displaced residents of several dozen units at Independence Towers Monday is just the latest in the list of problems for the troubled apartment building despite new ownership and management, residents say.

Eric Michel, Battalion Chief of Fire Prevention in Independence, said tenants in 27 apartments had to be evacuated this week due to smoke and fire damage to three floors of the building.

Fire officials responded to the multi-story apartment building around 4:15 a.m. Monday, and discovered heavy smoke and fire in a second floor apartment. The fire was contained to one apartment and was put out quickly, according to Michel.

No injuries were reported.

On Tuesday, Justin Stein, a leader with KC Tenants, said that even before the fire, residents in the apartment building have continued to suffer in the summer heat, despite a court ordering new management for the building. Maintenance requests aren’t being done, he said, and rodents and pests continue to run rampant. The air conditioning still isn’t operating.

“Tenants have continued to see their rent increase and also the utility cost increase,” Stein said. “Because there’s no AC, a lot of tenants have had to go out and buy their own portable AC units and run multiple AC units and fans to stay safe. Everybody’s electricity bill is going through the roof. “

Vice president of TriGild, Nancy Daniels, failed to meet the June 11 deadline set by the union to commit to turning on the air conditioning, he said.

Earlier this year, residents of Independence Towers joined KC Tenants, a tenant union, complaining of cockroaches, mice and other pests. In the summer, they said there’s frequently no air conditioning, and in the winter, no heating. Tenants who spoke to The Star at that time said they’d long endured poor living conditions at the apartment building at 728 Jennings Road.

At that point, Independence Towers was managed by Tango Management, owned by FTW Investments, a company which also managed a complex which The Star reported on in Jan. 2023 for leaving tenants for days without heat in the winter.

On May 16, a Jackson County judge appointed property management company Trigild Inc. as receiver of the property, after FTW Investments allegedly failed to pay back Fannie Mae for the loan and maintaining the building according to their loan agreement.

Stein said the union has not heard directly from Daniels, or the building’s landlord, in regards to the fire. A date of when displaced residents can expect to return to their homes has not been provided. Residents forced to leave were given $350 from the Red Cross, according to Stein.

A joint investigation into Monday’s fire by Independence Fire, Independence Police and the Missouri State Fire Marshal’s Office is ongoing. The cause of the fire is not yet known.

The Independence Towers leasing office refused to comment to The Star on Monday, saying they didn’t have permission to be discussing the incident.

Daniels did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.

The union will meet with Daniels this Thursday to address the fire and current conditions of the building. They plan to demand that Trigild Inc. fix the air conditioning and compensate tenants for the fire. They also want to ask for a reverse and freeze on recent rent hikes, a freeze for all evictions and displacements and for management to recognize the union.

This story was originally published June 18, 2024 at 5:26 PM.