A shore town is working to crack down on garbage beneath its famous boardwalk. Two recent fires, including one on Wednesday, involved burning trash.
It's a side of Atlantic City that you won't see in any marketing campaigns - an accumulation of trash spread on the sand beneath the boardwalk.
Authorities say that burning trash was a factor in the recent fires under the boardwalk by Garden Pier on Wednesday afternoon.
A much larger fire in November also involved burning garbage under the boards. No one was hurt but the fire significantly damaged the famous wooden way and part of Resorts Casino.
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The area remains off-limits.
"It's a big concern because this is not a good look," Devon Thompson of Jersey City told NBC10. "A lot of people could lose their lives."
Officials are unable to pinpoint the exact cause of the fire outside of Resorts although they say a human act was to blame.
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The other fire is still under investigation.
Authorities tell us that homeless people are known to spend time in both spots.
"There are a lot of areas in the boardwalk that have been cleaned out," Atlantic City Fire Department Chief Scott Evans said. "It's a constant moving target."
"It's something that our public works crews, especially the boardwalk division, is out there every single day trying to clean up," Atlantic City spokesperson Andrew Kramer said. "People are leaving trash and then a lot of it comes in from the ocean."
One possible solution the city is considering is putting up fencing in some areas to try and keep trash from building up under the boardwalk.
Officials hope to know more next week about when this part of the boardwalk will be repaired.
It's an ongoing battle against waste that's largely hidden from view.
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