Ithaca Fire was requested for three incidents in Ithaca Gorges in less than twelve hours Sunday morning.
The Ithaca Fire Department reported at around 1:10 am, the Tompkins 911 Center received a call that an individual had fallen near the Stewart Avenue bridge. Ithaca Police, Bangs Ambulance, and Cornell Environmental Health and Safety also responded to the area. Ithaca Police located the individual and their condition was assessed by Ithaca firefighters and Bangs Ambulance personnel. They were stabilized and firefighters used a basket to remove them from the gorge using a high-angle rope system and medical care was transferred to the waiting ambulance crew. They were then transported to a regional trauma center by a Life Net air ambulance that had landed at Jessup Field. Their fall into the gorge is being investigated by Ithaca Police and their current condition is not known. This labor-intensive rescue took approximately an hour and a half.
At 10:30 Sunday morning, firefighters were again requested to the Fall Creek Gorge for a person in the water. Unfortunately, the body of a dead person was found near the Stewart Avenue bridge. Firefighters packaged the person in a basket and used rope systems to recover them from the gorge. Bangs Ambulance, Ithaca Police, and Cornell Environmental Health and Safety worked with IFD at the incident. The recovery took about three hours to accomplish. No foul play is suspected at this time according to Ithaca Police.
Anyone with information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the Ithaca Police Department via the below-listed means as soon as possible, those who wish to remain anonymous may do so.
Police Dispatch: 607-272-3245
Police Administration: 607-272-9973
Police Tipline: 607-330-0000
Anonymous Email Tip Address: www.cityofithaca.org/ipdtips
Both operations resulted in third alarms with off-duty IFD members and multiple surrounding fire departments helping to cover additional calls in the City and Town of Ithaca. These incidents are not thought to be related. IFD would like to thank the Cayuga Heights, Lansing, and Newfield Fire Departments for providing apparatus and personnel during both operations.
Additionally, at around 10:50 Sunday morning and during the recovery in Fall Creek, IFD was called to the area of the Giles Street pedestrian bridge after a passerby believed they witnessed a person jumping into the gorge. After a thorough search of the area, no victims were located, and no rescue was needed.
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