Fire destroys parts of Jackson unhoused encampment, adding to growing list of recent incidents

The Jackson Fire Department responded to a fire Monday morning in an unhoused encampment near County Line Road. The fire is one of several in the past few weeks that has destroyed parts of unhoused encampments around Jackson.

Monday's fire wiped out a makeshift home complete with solar power built by James, who has lived in the encampment for nearly a year and a half. The fire did not harm other tents or structures in the encampment. James prefers not to use his last name.

Fred Brandon, Stewpot outreach specialist, said there had been three or four other fires in that encampment alone in recent months. Other spots in the encampment still showed scars of burned trees.

Deputy Fire Chief Cleotha Sanders told the Clarion Ledger firefighters with the Jackson Fire Department were dispatched Monday to 6388 Ridgewood Court at 10:05 a.m. for “a grass fire” in the wooded area behind this location.

Sanders told the Clarion Ledger that fire crews arrived at the scene at 10:10 a.m. and confirmed a working fire in the wooded area that involved makeshift tents and other debris.

According to Sanders, fire crews extinguished the fire and contained the fire to the area of origin with no extension to any buildings. No injuries were reported.

Sanders said the fire marshal and fire investigators also responded to the scene to determine the origin and cause of the fire. Sanders said officials cleared the scene at 11:48 a.m.

No additional details have been released at this time.

Dee Dee More, another outreach specialist at Stewpot, said fires are common in Jackson’s unhoused encampments, but they often occur naturally from cooking accidents or residents trying to stay warm.

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James said Monday’s fire marked at least the fifth unhoused encampment in recent weeks marred by fire.

Around noon on Monday, the remains of James’ structure were still smoking. A partially melted Target shopping cart sat in the front a few steps away from two propane tanks lying on the ground. A fire extinguisher sat on the ground just outside what was left of James’ fence made out of plywood.

James said there were two fires Monday morning. The first began around 3 a.m., and James was able to put it out before it spread. The second, he said, occurred a few hours later, around 8:30 a.m., while he was asleep inside the structure. He tried to put the fire out with fire extinguishers for more than 20 minutes before realizing it was too late.

Moore said law enforcement showed up quickly, and when she went to go check on the encampment residents later that morning, she couldn’t find anyone.

Prior to the fire, James had spent over a year building up his home. In March 2023, the Clarion Ledger featured a photo gallery of James’ hand-built home which included a shower and a kitchen area. In Aug. 2024, the structure had grown to include a gated fence, front pathway and working electricity powered by eight solar panels James wired himself.

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Since James became unhoused, he has found purpose trying to change the negative connotations around the phrase “homeless people.”

“When someone does something wrong, that person did something wrong. You don’t have to label them as ‘homeless’ because homeless didn’t make them do that,” James said. “They say ‘homeless people,’ which puts us all in the same metaphor.”

After the fire, James said he doesn’t know yet where he’ll go from here, but he most likely won’t rebuild in the same encampment. But, he said,"I'll be alright."

“Everything that was lost — I don’t put no value on any of those things,” James said. “I value life for what it is today. I don’t value things that I used to value.”

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Fire destroys parts of Jackson unhoused encampment, adding to growing list of recent incidents