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Gilroy 3-Alarm Fire Sends Thick Black Smoke Over Hwy 101

GILROY (CBS SF) -- Firefighters have extinguished a three-alarm fire that burned pallets of recyclable materials and part of a 42,000 square-foot commercial building Saturday in Gilroy, fire officials said.

The fire was first reported at 4:11 p.m. near Engle Way.

The recyclable materials, which were stacked in pallets outside the building, are made from shredded plastic and metal parts of consumer electronics.

Fire Division Chief Chris Weber said having to extinguish each pallet made extinguishing the fire much more difficult.

No one was injured and no environmental damage was done, Weber said.

Firefighters tested the water runoff and the smoke and neither tested positive for hazardous materials, he said.

But fire officials did ask residents to shelter in place.

The fire was the second fire of the day in Gilroy.

The first was reported at 5 a.m. near the intersection of Obata Way and Southside Drive, according to fire officials.

When firefighters arrived, they found a vehicle and a modular office building in flames.

No one was injured in the earlier fire either, according to fire officials.

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