(Adds comments from Rumo operator at Port of Santos,background)
SAO PAULO, July 14 (Reuters) - A fire at the Rumo sugar andgrain terminal in Brazil's Santos port that started earlyThursday restricted operations but caused no injuries, accordingto a spokesman for the company controlled by sugar and ethanolproducer Cosan SA.
The blaze broke out around 4 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) andthe company expects to resume normal operations by middayThursday, the spokesman said.
The fire started at a conveyor belt which connects two ofRumo's warehouse complexes and was controlled within an hour,after loading and unloading were temporarily suspended.
News of the incident in the world's biggest sugar producingnation triggered a more than 4 percent rally in sugar prices. Futures have pared back some early gains but arestill trading up 2.5 percent at 11:00 a.m. local time.
Adailton D'Alves, operations technician at Rumo, said noneof the sugar or grains stored in the terminal's variouswarehouses were affected.
The Santos Fire Department said their teams were stillinvestigating.
It was the second fire at Rumo in two years and follows astring of blazes at the port, which is South Americas' largest.
Cosan had no immediate comment. (Reporting by Reese Ewing and Stephen Eisenhammer; Editing byFrances Kerry; Editing by Alden Bentley)