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Early Morning Fire at Biodiesel Plant

GONZALES, Calif. - On Tuesday around 4 a.m. a fire broke out at Energy Alternative Solutions in Gonzales. It's a biodiesel plant at 425 Alta St. About 20 firefighters quickly put the fire out.

Firefighters say the fire started in a dumpster that was inside the plant. No one was inside at the time. No major damage has been reported. The fire could have been a lot worse, since there were several 55-gallon bins of sulfuric acid inside.

Lt. Danny Guiterrez says, the cause of the fire is most likely spontaneous combustion. That happens when materials along with the heat naturally catch on fire. Wood chips and several shop rags with residue on them were inside the dumpster.