Faulty alarm at empty Florida warehouse leaves neighbors frustrated: 'Get it turned off!'
MELBOURNE, Fla. - A blaring alarm at an empty warehouse has been blasting for days in Melbourne.
The noise comes from what was initially supposed to be an Amazon warehouse at West Eau Gallie Blvd. and Sarno Rd. in Melbourne, and neighbors are frustrated.
The issue is even worse because the warehouse is empty, and first responders are trying to get the person responsible to silence the alarm.
Neighbors shared a video with FOX 35 News of the alarm going off on Tuesday morning around 6 a.m. Kimberly Brown says the nuisance noise has been on repeat for days in her neighborhood, which is about a mile away from the warehouse.
"I went to bed around 11 o’clock last night, and they were still on," said Brown.
She’s a nurse and hears the noise most in the mornings. It’s starting to affect her daily routine.
"It’s annoying trying to get the dogs out without hearing the alarm going off," said Brown.
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Both Melbourne Fire and Police have responded to the empty warehouse twice. As soon as FOX 35 drove through the parking lot, reporter Esther Bower heard the alarm going off Tuesday afternoon.
The fire department says they tried to silence it when they arrived but couldn’t.
"Anytime we go out to something, and it turns out to be false, then that could take away the potential of another real alarm," said Clark Simmons, who’s the division chief of logistics for Melbourne Fire.
A blaring alarm at an empty warehouse has been blasting for days in Melbourne, Florida.
The fire department said the faulty alarm coming from the warehouse needs to be fixed. On Tuesday, they sent a letter to the property manager letting them know if it isn’t silenced, they could face fines in the future.
"Any more than three false alarms in a year is subject to a fine," Simmons added.
Simmons said wet weather and lightning could be responsible for setting off the alarm. There will be no fines if the weather is a factor, but it's too soon to tell since the alarm hasn't been silenced. Neighbors want to see something done as quickly as possible.
"Just the nuisance of it. Let’s get it turned off," Brown exclaimed. "Turn it off, please."
Knowing how first responders must use valuable time to clear the warehouse is also a concern for residents.
"I think it’s a complete waste of resources," said Brown. "There’s definitely much more they could be doing with their time than going over to an empty warehouse and clearing it."
If you’re concerned about an alarm going off in your neighborhood, first responders say you should still call 911. They treat the issue as an emergency until they get to the scene and see what’s really going on.
FOX 35 also reached out to Amazon to see what’s being done to address the issue. We received the following response from an Amazon spokesperson:
"When we learned that the alarm was activated, we sent a tech out who was able to disarm it. Additional work is ongoing at the facility to address the root cause of the issue. The facility itself remains a part of our future plans for the area and we look forward to sharing more as soon as we can."