REDWOOD CITY, Calif. --
Firefighters arrived at the scene of a two-alarm asphalt factory fire in Redwood City Monday afternoon and had the fire contained within 30 minutes, fire dispatch said.
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 before 3:30 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.
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 is 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 this afternoon.
The ramps at Woodside Road were shut down to keep vehicles out of the area, CHP spokesperson Art Montiel said. The ramps were expected to reopen at about 3:30 p.m.
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