A “very large fire” destroyed a campsite in Jungle #1 just before 3 AM on Saturday, January 5th, 2024.
‘The Jungle’ is series of unsanctioned drug encampments that stretch across the City & Town of Ithaca from Cass Park to Buttermilk Falls State Park. ‘Jungle #1’ is located near Wegmans behind Warehouse Carpet Outlet, Agway & Maguire Credit Used Cars next to the train tracks on a combination of railroad & city property.
Ithaca Police officers were dispatched to the call at 2:51 AM. The Ithaca Fire Department was dispatched on the call shortly thereafter.
Ithaca Firefighters cut a lock on a fence to gain access to the area. An individual residing in a nearby campsite said the fire happened at a particular woman’s camp. A woman by that name was among those who had their background checked by responding officers in dispatch audio. She was unharmed.
Other individuals on the scene questioned by responding officers included a Level 2 Registered Sex Offender. This individual’s listed address in the sex offender registry is “Jungle Area.”
Sex offenders are barred from living at Ithaca’s homeless shelter.
The cause of the fire is unknown. The remains of a generator, gas can, propane cylinder, charcoal grill and what appeared to be a makeshift chimney were apparent in the debris.
Fires are a frequent occurrence in Jungle #1. The camp itself was strewn with stripped bicycles, a cash box, syringes, orange needle caps and a large volume of garbage.
The encampment was photographed a week before the fire on December 30th, 2023 and again on January 6th. Those images and others from the campsite can be viewed below.
The City of Ithaca’s recently implemented ‘Response Protocol to Unsanctioned Encampments on City Property’ would not apply to the majority of Jungle #1 due to it being located on land leased by the railroad.
City officials hope to relocate occupants of unsanctioned encampments to a site behind Walmart previously referred to as the ‘Green Zone.’ This sanctioned camping area, now referred to as the ‘Exception Zone,’ has itself been plagued by campsite fires for many years.