After waiting nearly eight weeks for permission to return to their apartments after a fire tore through their apartment building last month, some tenants say they have returned to find their apartments vandalized and robbed.

"The whole apartment is destroyed,” said tenant Evelyn Hernandez. “The ceiling’s collapsed, it's all burned down.”

Meanwhile, the property manager says the building is under 24-hour security.

Several tenants of 1547 Commonwealth Ave. say they were not allowed back into their apartments without signing a release form that reads, in part, “I hold the property owners United Tremont LLC...harmless and not responsible for injury or damage."

While some residents refused to sign the form, others say they eventually complied, desperate to recover what is left of their belongings.

Residents say they are helping one another to get back on their feet in the meantime.

News 12 has reached out to the building's management company and security company for comment but has not yet received a response.