By January of 1945, after nearly three years at the camp, nearly 3,000 prisoners had died. The camp measured about by and was enclosed by 3 barbed wire fences, each high. There were guard towers outside the fence. The prisoners were kept in 8 barracks originally designed to house 40 soldiers, but were used to hold 120 prisoners each. Conditions at the camp in 1942 were terrible with mosquitoes that carried malaria and flies that spreading dysentery. Many prisoners were murdered by the guards. Local Filipinos smuggled in food and money to bribe the guards. But by 1944 the conditions became worse. The Japanese cut rations and cut down on the smuggling of food to prisoners. They started sending prisoners to camps in Japan and Manchuria in "hellships". By early 1945 just over 500 prisoners were left in Cabanatuan number 1 camp.