Skyvue Apartments cited in July fire safety inspection

A 400-unit luxury apartment complex in Oakland has been cited for a fire safety violation following a July 12 reinspection, according to a notice on the city’s BuildingEye website. 

Skyvue, a 3-year-old complex geared towards students and young professionals, has failed to maintain a fully functioning alarm system, according to the notice. The City is requiring Skyvue to restore the fire alarm system to an “operable condition” with no system troubles. Reinspection is slated for July 23. 

Skyvue management did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the July 12 violation. 

This is not the first time Skyvue has been cited for violating the fire safety code. Inspections in October 2018 revealed that the building then had failed to maintain a fully functioning fire alarm system. Skyvue was also cited for not maintaining annual fire alarm inspection records and not maintaining an annual inspection of the building’s fire pump, which provides water to fire sprinklers.

In response to the October violations, Alex O’Brien, chief operating officer for Cardinal Group Management, which manages the building, said in a June email that the company has worked to maintain compliance with City building requirements.

“We have worked with City departments to address any past issues and ensure we are compliant with all building requirements,” O’Brien said. 

Recently, the building suffered an accidental electrical fire in its garage attributed to a “water contamination issue.” The fire, which occurred on June 2, caused a building-wide power outage. No injuries were reported. While some tenants were able to move back into their units after a few days, others were displaced until June 28 and complained of not receiving a clear explanation as to why from management. Skyvue management did not respond to questions regarding tenant displacement.