Fire crews from multiple towns battled a massive fire at a Tiverton auto lot.
Dozens of crushed vehicles were found burning about 2:30 a.m., WPRI reported.
Firefighters said the popping residents heard were from tires as there were no batteries or gas tanks on the vehicles.
Tiverton Fire Chief William Bailey said it was difficult to knock down the flames due to a lack of fire hydrants and limited water supply. Tankers shuttled water to and from the auto lot from the nearest hydrant, which was located roughly a mile away.
A front-end loader -- operated by the business owner -- was used to break the pile of crushed cars apart. Firefighters doused the flames trapped inside the pile as the owner removed the vehicles.
Crews were on the scene for several hours.
