Nearly 55 residents are out of their homes in Purcellville after county inspectors declared the stairwells leading to second-floor units at Purcellville East Apartments unsafe, forcing an emergency evacuation order across six buildings. The trouble surfaced when Loudoun County Fire and Rescue crews responded to an unrelated service call at one of the buildings on North 16th Street, only to discover damaged staircases that triggered a broader safety inspection.
According to Daily Voice, the trouble began Sunday, October 25, when fire crews were called to one of the buildings for the unrelated service call that first exposed the structural damage. Inspectors who followed up confirmed that stairwells leading to the second floors of six buildings were unsafe, ultimately leading the Loudoun County Department of Building and Development to issue an unsafe structure order covering the apartment complex at 110 to 120 N. 16th Street, as reported by FOX 5 DC.
The order impacted 24 apartment units in total, 22 of which were occupied, per officials. Residents of those 22 occupied units were told they had to leave, with two additional vacant units also covered by the order. Those living in first-floor units were not affected and were allowed to remain in their apartments.
Fire Crews Shore Up Stairs, Help Residents Grab Belongings
Loudoun County Fire and Rescue installed temporary shoring on the damaged stairways, according to Purcellville News. The same report details an inspection that cited rusting and deteriorating stairs, a missing annual fire alarm inspection, a broken fire alarm pull-station cover, and combustible materials stored under the stairwells.
County officials posted notices at the complex on Thursday to alert residents to the emergency order. With second-floor apartments no longer safely accessible on their own, displaced residents got help from fire crews, who assisted people in gathering their belongings before leaving.
No Timeline Yet for Residents to Return
Building officials are working with the property owner to address the conditions that led to the order, though there is no announced timeline for when residents will be able to return, the Daily Voice report notes. Separately, a representative identified by Purcellville News as being with Betteralife said concerns about the property's conditions had been raised with the owner for years.
The Virginia Administrative Code section cited in unsafe-structure cases like this one, Section 106.1, applies to existing structures classified as unsafe, according to the Virginia Administrative Code. County departments and nonprofit agencies are helping displaced residents and their pets relocate until the hazards are addressed. Residents affected by the evacuation can call Loudoun County for assistance at 703-777-0420.
Loudoun County's Code Enforcement office generally advises anyone who believes a home or property is unsafe or unstable to exit the structure safely and call 911 immediately. The county's Coordinated Entry program is among the resources available to residents seeking housing assistance while the stairwells remain out of service.
