Dozens of families inside a Mount Vernon building say they have been without heat since Tuesday after a boiler broke.

The bitter cold has forced residents of 269 W. First St. to take drastic measures to stay warm. Carlos Nathan has his oven cranked up and wide open inside his apartment.

"Nobody deserves to live like this when it's cold," says Nathan.

The four-story building is home to about 45 people. Many tenants said they saw notices indicating the problem is being worked on.

The building's manager is also getting frustrated with contractors who either don't show up when they say they will or are late. He says the snow and holidays have made repairs hard to get.

The city formed a Heat Task Force to help in the process, but even Fire Commissioner Ted Beale appears to be less than optimistic.

"Right now, we're just at the mercy of the repairman," he says.

Commissioner Beale is reminding residents not to use their ovens and place space heaters three feet from any of the walls. Heat-related issues can be reported to the city at 914-665-2626.