Condemned condo residents ordered to leave

MIAMI (WSVN) -- Officials have required Cedar Pointe condominium complex residents to vacate the building after the City of Miami fire marshal condemned the dilapidated structure.

Having discovered heaps of trash, faulty wiring and a non-working fire alarm system inside the complex, the fire marshal attempted unsuccessfully to contact the building's owners about plans to repair the structure to building code standards.

Void of an alarm system, the building is not only a mess but also a death trap. "If there is a fire, everything will blow up, and we could even die in there," said resident Daisy Cruz.

With no relevant signs of improvement to the building, the fire marshal deemed the complex unsafe.

The few tenants who remained were left in a race against time to get out. "It just happened from one day to the other, from night to morning," said Cruz. "It's hard."

Fifth floor resident Kevin Martinez, whose move will be challenged by a non-functioning elevator, plans to move in with his grandmother. "We're all mad here because we all feel like we were ripped off when we bought our condos," said the unemployed evictee.

Mayra Perez, who lives with her two children, doesn't know where she will take her family. "Can you imagine what I have to do? I have children," said the desperate mother. "We have to find a place to stay, a one-bedroom, anything."

The city's next concern will be determining the party responsible with boarding up the condo since the can't seen to get a hold of the owners of the building.

The City of Miami says it will put people who have nowhere to go in a hotel until Monday.

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