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2-Alarm Fire Contained At Redwood City Asphalt Factory

REDWOOD CITY (CBS 5 / KCBS) -- Firefighters were able to quickly gain control of a  two-alarm fire at an asphalt factory fire in Redwood City Monday afternoon.

The fire started at about 2:30 p.m. at Graniterock, located at 365 Bomquist St., and remained confined to a single tank. The fire was contained shortly after 3 p.m.

The tank held liquid asphalt, which produced dark, black smoke that was visible from nearby roads and freeways, Graniterock president Bruce Woolpert said.

Employees at the nearby Bayside Auction & Print warehouse reported hearing an explosion.

KCBS' Chris Filippi Reports:

Although the black smoke was visually significant, Woolpert said, "It's not something people need to be worried about."

There were no injuries, and an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the fire. Liquid asphalt fires are not common, according to Woolpert.

On-ramps for both directions of U.S. Highway 101 at Woodside Road in Redwood City were closed for about 15 minutes to make way for fire crews, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.

The ramps at Woodside Road were shut down to keep vehicles out of the area, CHP spokesperson Art Montiel said.

(Copyright 2011 by CBSSan Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)

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