POPLARVILLE, Miss. (AP) — A semitrailer hauling propane bottles crashed and caught fire Monday, blocking traffic for several hours along Interstate 59 in southern Mississippi.

The danger caused by exploding propane bottles forced the Mississippi Highway Patrol to block traffic in both directions near Poplarville. The driver of the truck was able to escape, highway patrol said.

  • In this photo released by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, firefighters work to stop a fire from spreading from a semitrailer, which was carrying propane tanks, on Interstate 59 near Poplarville, Miss., on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. The interstate was closed after the truck caught fire. (Mississippi Highway Patrol via the Mississippi Department of Public Safety via AP)
  • In this photo released by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, an exploded propane tank lies near firefighters as they work on Interstate 59 near Poplarville, Miss., on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. The interstate was closed after a semitrailer, which was carrying propane tanks, caught fire. (Mississippi Highway Patrol via the Mississippi Department of Public Safety via AP)
  • In this photo released by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, an exploded propane tank lies near firefighters as they work on Interstate 59 near Poplarville, Miss., on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. The interstate was closed after a semitrailer, which was carrying propane tanks, caught fire. (Mississippi Highway Patrol via the Mississippi Department of Public Safety via AP)
  • In this photo released by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, firefighters work to stop a fire from spreading from a semitrailer, which was carrying propane tanks, on Interstate 59 near Poplarville, Miss., on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. The interstate was closed after the truck caught fire. (Mississippi Highway Patrol via the Mississippi Department of Public Safety via AP)
  • In this photo released by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, firefighters work to stop a fire from spreading from a semitrailer, which was carrying propane tanks, on Interstate 59 near Poplarville, Miss., on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. The interstate was closed after the truck caught fire. (Mississippi Highway Patrol via the Mississippi Department of Public Safety via AP)

Photos posted on social media by the highway patrol showed propane bottles strewn across the interstate and the incinerated remains of the truck. Responders were working to contain the fire, which spread to trees along the interstate.

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