ST. LOUIS - Victoria Melson lives on the top floor of the eight-story Tower Village Apartments on Highland Avenue in the Kingshighway West neighborhood of north St. Louis.

“Somebody needs to fix the elevator, please,” Melson said.

Melson tells FOX 2 the only two elevators in the building are not working. The apartments include seniors and disabled residents.  

She’s worried about what would happen if there’s an emergency.

“It feels like nobody cares if we burn up in a fire,” Melson said.

When a FOX 2 reporter contacted the apartment building by phone, the reporter was told that the elevator woes needed to be fixed. When the reporter and a photographer went to the building to investigate, the property manager ordered them to leave.

“Someone needs to step up with the funds to fix this elevator and to fix it right with a decent company that will make it work and keep it working,” said Melson.

If she walks down the steps to leave her apartment, she says the climb back up includes 192 steps to return to her unit.

“It’s painful,” said Melson. “I need a hip replacement currently and it takes me a long time to get back up the stairs.”

The on-site property manager declined to comment. FOX  2 notified the St. Louis Department of Public Safety about the situation and contacted apartment management by phone and email.

As of Tuesday evening, apartment management has not responded.   

Melson fears inaction will cost someone their life.   

“Residents need working elevators,” she said.