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A broken elevator has left some residents of a Boston apartment building unable to leave, but a new stairlift has brought temporary relief.

When 80-year-old Silke Evans, who lives at the Villa Michelangelo Apartments in the North End, spoke with NBC10 Boston last Wednesday, she had been stuck inside for weeks.

“I feel imprisoned. That’s it,” she said at the time. “I feel like I’m in prison.”

Silke Evans, an 80-year-old woman living at the Villa Michelangelo Apartments in the North End, has been unable to use the elevator at her building for three weeks.

“She was stuck up on the third floor for a total of three-and-a-half weeks,” her daughter, Katharine Clark, said Thursday.

Thursday, Metro Management, which runs the building, installed the stairlift as a temporary solution while waiting for elevator repairs.

It allowed Evans to leave for the first time in nearly a month.

“They had food, and got to eat out, and just feel like a normal person,” Clark said. “She’s been looking kind of sad for weeks, so it’s the first time I saw some pictures where she was genuinely smiling.”

The fix brought major joy to Evans, with hopes of a long-term solution in the future.

“We’re not out of the woods. We still have a broken elevator. Hopefully, it’s not too many months with just a chairlift,” Clark said.

Jeff Buono, director of property management, told NBC10 Boston last week that the process to repair the elevator has been difficult.

“They’re estimating four to five weeks to get the parts and then four to five weeks for the install,” Buono said in a phone interview. “It’s tough to get parts in general. It takes longer to get them than it ever has before. So the systems now just need to be modernized. I mean, it does take a toll on our elderly population — it really does. And we do feel for them. They’re likely family to us.”

NBC10 Boston reached out to the management company for further comment Thursday, but staff had already left for the holiday weekend.

We are just two days away from the Fourth of July, and that means fireworks. The final preparations are underway for the City of Pittsburgh’s show, which is promised to be the largest in history. In all, five barges full of fireworks will be set off for this show. 

Under the blistering sun, the true heat is packed on the barges along the Ohio River. Thousands upon thousands of fireworks will go off during the 25-minute show Saturday night, done by Starfire Corporation.

“Being down here, for our family to be able to perform for Pittsburgh is such an honor,” Starfire Corporation vice president Vince Terrizzi Jr. said.

Planning started back in February for this event. The barges will go on the Mon, Allegheny and right near The Point, creating a triangle effect around the Golden Triangle.

“We have one rooftop location that will surprise people and come in and out during the show,” Terrizzi said.

In all, nine truckloads of fireworks were brought in to be part of the show. Inspectors with the Pittsburgh Bureau of Fire inspected and will do a final inspection before the show. For the inspector, it’s her last show as she plans to retire in a few months.

“Going out with literally the biggest bang the city has ever seen,” Lisa Epps-Cuda said with a laugh.

Starfire has done the about a half dozen of the city’s shows over the years, and it never gets old for them. 

“Listening to the crowd’s response, boats cheering, those kind of things make it worth its while,” Terrizzi said.

As for the weather, the big concern will be lightning; the fireworks can still be fired off in the rain. The show is set to go off at 9:35 on Saturday night.