Trailer on Fire Causes Standstill on I-10 in Pascagoula

Interstate 10 was at a standstill Monday in Pascagoula near Exit 68 after a tractor trailer got a flat tire that caught on fire.

The tractor trailer was carrying the liquid gas, argon, which is used by welders. When the flat tire caught on fire, it caused pressure to the tank where the argon was located. To keep other drivers safe, officials closed one lane of I-10 while they released the gas safely.

Earl Etheridge, Director of Emergency Services for Jackson County, says, “Argon is an asphyxiant and it’s super cold, so we’ve got traffic down to one lane to keep them away from the truck, and we’re doing a controlled release at this time to protect the integrity of the tank. The company is sending another tanker so we can all float out of this tank truck into the other truck so they can get the product to Alabama where it was going.”

Both eastbound lanes on I-10 were opened back up around 4:15 p.m. Monday afternoon.