Oakland Man Found Suffering From Hypothermia
OAKLAND (KDKA) - An elderly man was hospitalized after being found suffering from hypothermia Tuesday morning.
According to officials at the scene, the man was found inside a building in the 300-block of Mellwood Avenue around 10 a.m.
The man is believed to be the landlord of the 17-unit apartment building. He has been identified as 88-year-old Saad Ibrahim.
"He had no heat. His furnace went down and he call us to fix it," said Dennis Napoleon, a contractor. "We came over and we found that [he] wasn't coherent and I checked him out and we called to paramedics."
"He was out temporarily yesterday. I have an electric heater so it didn't bother me. I came down and saw all this going on. My landlord was apparently very cold and I think he got to the hospital," Bill Birsic said.
The man lived on the second floor and there are several students also living in the building.
"I was at work. They told me that the heat was off and when I went inside I could see my breath," said Dezrea D'Alessendro, a tenant. "I have a electric blanket and I have a space heater. We're not supposed to use electric blankets or space heaters, but I feel like given the circumstances… I broke the rules."
The furnace has been repaired; however, the building is being condemned. All tenants have been told they can no longer stay there.
There have reportedly been issues in the past with the building, such as fire and building code violations.
Ibrahim remains hospitalized, but officials with UPMC say he is in good condition.
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