North Buffalo woman goes 53 days without reliable heat in her apartment

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A woman living in North Buffalo has not had reliable heat in her apartment for nearly two months.

The new apartment building WIVB News 4 has been reporting on is located at 1585 Hertel Ave. Only one of the tenants, Giana Rio, hasn’t had reliable heat in 53 days.

Rio has had to use space heaters in her apartment to stay warm. Space heaters can become a fire hazard and are not ideal to get through the bitter winter months.

“I am so happy I called Channel 4 to inform everyone and to let John Daly and landlords know during our winter — a Buffalo winter — we need heat,” Rio said. “Space heaters is not heat, it’s just a temporary solution.”

Rio’s heat first went out on Friday, Dec. 13. According to the landlord, John Daly, and the manager of the building, which has advanced technology, the computer board on the roof that powers Rio’s unit went down.

As the days and the weeks went by, Rio became frustrated. She contacted Call 4 Action, looking for help.

“It’s one of the worst things, to have a home that doesn’t feel like it, and in a cold winter like this, it’s not even exciting to go home anymore — it wasn’t,” Giana said, “Everyday, I had to unplug one [space heater], make sure one of them is not plugged in for a long time, say a full day. Even if I come home just to come to some warmth, I’ll unplug it for a few hours to re-plug it before I go back to bed.”

Daly, who was at times uncooperative in News 4’s calls on the situation, said they had to go through a contractor to get a new computer board and that they were faced with delays and technical issues. He said the weather played a factor as well, with crews not being able to go to the roof to make repairs because of the snow and bitter cold temperatures. All of these factors played a role in the situation playing out longer than anticipated.

Rio’s heat finally came back on Monday — no more space heaters, no more delays. Her landlord said they’ll give her a break on her rent because of the heating issues.

To submit a Call 4 Action complaint, call our hotline at (716) 879-4900. If you have a heating issue or a quality of life issue, call 311.

Latest Local News

Venezuelan man wanted for attempted murder arrested at Peace Bridge

Buffalo man accused of kidnapping woman in Tonawanda

Barenaked Ladies, Wallows coming to Outer Harbor

10-year-old from Tonawanda Reservation featured on special edition Sports Illustrated cover

Texas man extradited to Lockport for rape of child

Jeff Preval is an award-winning anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in December 2021. See more of his work here.

Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo.