BOSTON -- Crews battled a large junkyard fire in Wrentham on Thursday.

The fire broke out behind Armitage Auto Parts at 1143 South St. at about 1:05 p.m. Thursday.

"What was burning was, basically, old tires and some auto parts. We been have using foam to extinguish the fire," Wrentham Fire Chief Mark Pare.

The thick, black smoke could be seen as far away as Providence, R.I. The junkyard is located across Route 1A from the Wrentham Outlet Mall near Interstate 495.

Fire crews from Plainville helped Wrentham firefighters battle the blaze.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

"We have not determined the cause of the fire, and the fire never spread beyond the initial pile," Pare said.