ORANGE, Texas — Several buildings at an apartment complex in Orange were demolished by the city Wednesday morning.
Nine units at the Sabine Park Apartments were torn down by an excavator at 8 a.m.
It's the final chapter in a story 12News has followed all year.
12News first started reporting on the health and safety issues at the apartments in January 2023 after residents reported issues including being without running water for more than a month.
The reporting led the city to investigate. They found that several units were unlivable.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The above video first aired in July 2023.)
The question now is, what's next for the remaining buildings and the people who live there.
Demolition of 9 units begins at Sabine Park Apartment Homes
It's been an emotional roller coaster for residents since the December freeze, when pipes burst.
"They failed everyone here, and I hope the new owners are on track. I have heard good things so far, so we will have to just see where things go from here," said David Vonderheyden, a resident.
He survived without water in his home for months after the pipes burst.
12News has tracked every step of the process. Our reporting helped pave the way for a municipal court ruling where a judge ordered 9 buildings be demolished.
City officials were at the site this morning watching the buildings topple and fall.
"They are not up to city codes, and certainly we believe that the people in Orange deserve a healthy, sanitary place to live. So that's why the city took the actions they did," said City of Orange's Director of Planning, Kelvin Knauf.
The demolition cost the city $145,000 but they are hoping to recoup that money from the new property owners "Saluda Grade".
This is only the beginning according to Knauf.
"This is called Section 4 that we are demolishing right now. This whole block. We have been inspecting some of these buildings in Section 3 and we will be taking those to a hearing as well on August 16th of this month," said Knauf.
Section 3 has some of the same problems. City inspectors have found problems with sewage and electrical wiring.
There are around 20 residents still living at Sabine Park.
Vonderheyden thinks that the best course of action would be for the new company to take ownership, so their homes don't end up demolished.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.