State troopers temporarily shut down eastbound lanes of Interstate 10 near the Louisiana state line Monday for emergency response to a fire that engulfed an 18-wheeler's trailer.
The driver was bound for Florida with a load of spinach about 2 p.m. when his trailer's brakes caught fire, said Cpl. Jason Gazzo of the Mississippi Highway Patrol. The driver pulled off on the shoulder of I-10 and disconnected the tractor from the trailer.
State troopers stopped traffic between mile-markers 6 and 7 while Hancock County firefighters put out the blaze.
The fire destroyed the trailer, leaving only a shell. Baskets of spinach, some of it burned, were strewn about, but the bunches were scooped up before the right lane was re-opened.
Though its cargo wasn't hazardous material, the big rig's diesel fuel could have posed a problem, Gazzo said.
Troopers re-opened one lane within an hour. The other lane was cleared for travel an hour later and traffic was flowing freely by 4:30 p.m.
