MOBILE, Ala. (AP) -- A section of Interstate 10 closed overnight near Mobile during cleanup of an overturned tanker truck carrying a highly explosive, toxic chemical could reopen Thursday morning.
The interstate was shut down about 7 a.m. Wednesday and remained closed overnight as hazardous materials crews cleaned the area. The detour of traffic onto U.S. 90 snarled traffic.
A Department of Public Safety spokeswoman said the accident at the Rangeline Road exit west of Mobile required transfer of the truck's load of ethyl chloride to another vehicle. There were no injuries in the accident.
But Cpl. Marcus Young, a Mobile police spokesman, said there were several, minor vehicle crashes as people slowed for a better view of the overturned tanker truck and the many emergency vehicles. It was not immediately clear what caused the tanker to overturn.
The tanker was headed for the Degussa Corp. chemical plant in Theodore.
More than 400 gallons of the chemical leaked from the tanker, which was carrying some 5,000 gallons of the liquid, but Mobile police said it had been contained by Wednesday afternoon. But transfer of the chemical from the disabled tanker was delayed because equipment had to be shipped from other locations.
Authorities evacuated businesses, including a Wal-Mart Supercenter at Tillman's Corner, and residents within the 1-mile radius of the wreck.
Ethyl chloride is a flammable liquid that may cause inebriation, abdominal cramps, cardiac arrest, as well as liver and kidney damage, according to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Firefighters were also concerned about another attribute of the chemical.
''It has a flash point of about 87 degrees, meaning if it reaches 87 degrees it could cause a fire,'' said Steve Huffman, a Mobile Fire-Rescue Department spokesman at the scene.
About 100 homes were evacuated, according to the Red Cross. None of those evacuated had reported to the Red Cross shelter as of Wednesday evening.
Information from: The Mobile Register
