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Atlantic City man killed in boardwalk fire that started near a small homeless encampment

The county prosecutor’s office identified the victim as Bruce Elder, 67, whose last known address was in the city.

A 3-alarm fire erupted in the area of the Central Pier Arcade and damaged the boardwalk Thursday night in Atlantic City. No injuries were reported.
A 3-alarm fire erupted in the area of the Central Pier Arcade and damaged the boardwalk Thursday night in Atlantic City. No injuries were reported.Read moreTye Smith
    by Max Marin
    Published 

A 67-year-old man was killed in a three-alarm fire that engulfed part of the Atlantic City Boardwalk on Thursday night.

County officials initially reported no injuries in the blaze that erupted around 7 p.m. near South Tennessee Avenue, casting a cloud of dark smoke along the shoreline and damaging several businesses on Central Pier.

The Atlantic City Prosecutor’s Office later confirmed that Bruce Elder, whose last known address was in the city, died after a small fire lit beneath the boardwalk quickly raged out of control.

In a statement, the prosecutor’s office said that Elder appeared to have been sleeping near a small homeless encampment beneath the wooden promenade. A preliminary investigation found that “a small campfire” near where Elder was sleeping had set nearby combustible material ablaze.

“Although the fire was intentionally set, it does not appear to be criminal in nature,” the prosecutor’s office said.

Autopsy results remain pending.