About 200 seniors not expected to return to Waukegan apartment building for six days

About 200 residents of a downtown Waukegan high-rise won't be allowed to return home for several days until water service can be restored, officials said.

Waukegan spokesman David Motley said the seniors at the 12-story Lilac Ledge apartments on Washington Street were evacuated on Pace buses and other means Friday night after a private water line leading to the building burst earlier in the day. He said the break was unrelated to the city's culvert replacement project near Lilac Ledge.

"Since there was no water to the property, it was a life-safety issue, so the residents of that property had to be evacuated," Motley said Saturday. "The vast majority of them went to stay with friends and family members within the area. That being said, approximately 26 residents are staying in a temporary shelter as prepared by the American Red Cross to help keep them safe and warm."

It'll be about six days before the roughly 200 residents living in 193 units can return to Lilac Ledge, Motley said.

The water main break was reported just after midnight Thursday. Motley said a contractor attempted to fix the problem, but it was determined about 5 p.m. Friday that temporary measures would not be adequate.

Officials from the Red Cross and Waukegan worked together to evacuate the federally subsidized apartments.