All buildings at Superior Creek Lodge deemed unsafe

EAST RIDGE, Tennessee(WDEF) – Every building inside the Superior Creek Lodge apartment complex has now been condemned which means hundreds of people are now displaced.

Condemnation of all the buildings was confirmed by an employee.

East Ridge building inspectors spent the Thursday going building to building looking for structural failures that could pose an imminent danger to residents.

Inspections began on Wednesday afternoon when two of the buildings were deemed non-safe to live in. By nightfall, hundreds of people were ordered to leave the buildings.

"I came home from work at 9:30 and they told us we had to get out. No paper work notice or nothing. I ended up being in my car all night. There was no place to stay at all," said Bobby Tice.

"It’s heart breaking. You see mothers and fathers with their children in diapers that had no idea what was going on," said Sara Goff.

Fire Chief Mike Williams told reporters the structural problems were located where the balconies connect to the rooms.

"If we have a failure on the balcony, we have a failure in the room. So we are looking at the total structure as far as the stability of all the buildings," Williams said.

The Salvation Army is currently helping displaced residents find lodging as well giving them guidance on what to do next.