Rig with chemicals ignites, closes I-40

Sunday, May 18, 2014

A 1-mile area of St. Francis County was evacuated Saturday morning after an 18-wheeler carrying hazardous chemicals crashed and ignited on Interstate 40.

Emergency personnel responded shortly after 7 a.m. to the 258-mile marker of the interstate, where pile bridges divide eastbound and westbound lanes over Allen Bayou. A FedEx truck traveling east had caught fire after going off the road and crashing into the piles of the westbound bridge.

The driver of the 18-wheeler was taken to Regional One Health in Memphis, according to Arkansas State Police spokesman Bill Sadler. His condition was unknown late Saturday.

The truck was hauling 16,000 pounds of sodium picramate and 2,900 pounds of another chemical that had not been identified late Saturday. Sodium picramate is commonly used in hair dye and other pigment-altering cosmetic products. When exposed to fire, it produces toxic fumes and can explode.

Residents of five homes within a 1-mile area of the crash site were forced to leave while the fire was being extinguished, Sadler said.

The interstate was closed while Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department crews cleaned up and removed more than 30 55-gallon barrels of the chemicals.

Eastbound lanes were reopened about 12:34 p.m. Saturday. Westbound traffic was diverted to U.S. 70 until about 6 p.m., when one of the two lanes on I-40 reopened.

Highway Department spokesman Randy Ort said the other westbound lane of the bridge will remain closed for about a week while inspectors assess fire damage to the piles underneath. Timber was placed under the bridge to provide structural support, he said.

"It's one of those things where chances are we could open both lanes, but no, we want to make sure it's secure," Ort said.

Sadler said the Coast Guard was notified of the crash because chemical runoff could enter the St. Francis River via Allen Bayou.

The cause of the crash was unclear late Saturday.

Metro on 05/18/2014