ATTLEBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - Dozens of vehicles were damaged Friday as a fire burned through a towing facility on the Massachusetts/Rhode Island state line in Attleboro.
Officials said the first call reporting the fire came in around 5:20 p.m. Friday afternoon reporting flames in campers parked at Sterry Street Towing. Firefighters from Attleboro and Pawtucket, Rhode Island responded to the facility.
Flames ultimately burned through nearly 50 vehicles while damaging others.
“It wasn’t easy to get back and forth between Pawtucket and Attleboro,” Pawtucket Fire Department Battalion Chief David Cairrao said, noting fences, hills and cars blocking the way in the area.
SKY7-HD was over the scene Friday, showing burned out vehicles and debris.
Speaking later Friday evening, Cairrao said the amount of plastic in the cars involved in this fire, as well as the vehicles’ tires, created “an incredible amount of heat.”
“The more cars you get going, the more heat gets produced and it just takes off in that way,” Cairrao said.
Crews ended up fighting the fire from all angles, working to keep it from spreading to nearby homes.
Though flames ultimately spared area homes, officials said whipping winds in the area caused the fire to swallow some fences and sheds on the Pawtucket side of the state line.
Officials said the fire was under control by around 6:45 p.m.
In the aftermath of this fire, some people living nearby and local leaders said they are hoping something can be done to keep cars further away from homes in the area.
“Between the police and the firefighters, I hope something gets done about it,” area resident Deborah Duby said.
“We’ll definitely look into it,” Pawtucket Councilman David Moran said. “It’s not something that we can let go of lightly.”
Officials said there were no serious injuries reported as a result of this fire.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation as of Friday night.
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