Sleeping Man Killed In Atlantic City Boardwalk Fire: Prosecutor

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — A 67-year-old man was killed in Thursday's three-alarm fire on the Atlantic City Boardwalk, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office said.

The fire started under the Boardwalk near Tennessee Avenue, according to officials. A small homeless encampment was near where the fire started, officials said.

Bruce Eder, 67, whose last address was in Atlantic City, died in the fire, officials said. He appeared to have been sleeping near a small campfire. An official cause of death is pending an autopsy, officials said.

The flames spread upward, including an arcade, a speedway, a convenience store and a pizzeria, Atlantic City Fire Chief Scott Evans told 6abc News.

The businesses were closed when the fire broke out, according to CBS News. The news station reported that more than 50 firefighters worked for hours to get the blaze under control.

Officials said that the cause of the fire appears to be an open flame to available combustibles. Though the fire was intentionally set, officials said, it does not appear to be criminal in nature.

Note: An earlier version of this article misspelled Bruce Eder's name.