CHARLOTTE, N.C. — New details in an Eyewitness News investigation into a building located at 1517 N. Graham St. that is being renovated to house Charlotte's Fire Investigation Task Force.
A former fire investigator, Crystal Eschert, claims she was terminated for blowing the whistle on unsafe conditions at that building; however, city officials said she was fired over social media posts.
- CFD corrects confusion over renovation permits
- Former fire investigator says she was fired for raising safety concerns
Channel 9 uncovered new details about safety issues that now have North Carolina's Department of Labor investigating the elevator inside the building.
According to the Department of Labor, the elevator hasn't been inspected in more than a year and a half and that it's intended to carry freight, not people.
Eschert and Charlotte City Council Member Claire Fallon, told Eyewitness News they rode in that elevator with supervisors and other city officials and that they didn't feel safe on it.
"There was an elevator that went from the basement up and it was wooden," said Eschert. "When we went into it. the spring didn't want to work too well. So we had to jump to make it function."
Channel 9 asked the state for inspection records for that elevator and found the elevator was last inspected on April 15, 2013.
It was not inspected this past May when inspectors visited the building because the building was closed for renovation and elevator replacement.
Eyewitness News asked the Department of Labor whether anyone should be using the elevator now.
"It was up to owner of the building to notify the bureau that the renovations were complete and the elevator was ready for inspection," said spokeswoman Dolores Quesenberry. "The bureau has not received any notification and the elevator should not be in operation at this time."
A state inspector will be visiting that building to investigate.
If they find the elevator was being operated without a proper certificate, it could result in fines of $250 for every day it was used.
On Wednesday, the City of Charlotte provided the following statement:
"Based on the Department of Labor recommendation, we have locked down the elevator and it is not operable as of today. Otis Elevator Repair examined the elevator in September 2014 and has indicated per the letter below that the elevator is safe. The City has not renovated the elevator in any way. The City had been using the elevator intermittently for freight purposes."
Dear Sue:
With regards to our conversation concerning the freight elevator located at 1517 N. Graham St, it is our understanding that though the elevator testing is overdue, the elevator has not lost its certification and we have no reason to believe the unit is operating unsafely. We also understand that the city has elected to remove the unit from service until the testing can be completed.
With respect to the testing, we are more than willing to perform that per our proposal dated November 21, 2013 but will need a work order from the city to proceed. With respect to our proposal to tear out the unit completely dated 03/18/2014, please let us know if this is still a possibility as more coordination is required.
Once inspected, should the North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL) require additional work above and beyond our recommendations, please notify Otis immediately so we can assist.
It should also be reiterated that this elevator is classified as a freight elevator and should not be ridden by the general public. Please reach out to me if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Will Huffman – Service Account Manager
WSOC
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