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  • An 18-wheeler carrying a load of fuel overturned Thursday afternoon on Highway 45 North shutting down the highway for about two hours. The cleanup process was expected to go well into Thursday night. The driver of the big rig was unhurt in the incident. Submitted photo

    Tanker Rollover

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June 29, 2012

Rollover shuts down highway

By Brian Livingston / blivingston@themeridianstar.com The Meridian Star

MERIDIAN —     An 18-wheeler carrying a full tanker of automobile fuel overturned on Highway 45 North Thursday afternoon effectively halting traffic for hours in both directions.

    The driver of the big rig was "just shaken" in the incident that occurred at about 12:30 p.m. just south of Minnow Bucket Road, officials said. An undetermined amount of fuel spilled onto the northbound lanes and emergency officials closed down the southbound lanes of traffic to try and keep the chances of a stray spark igniting the fuel to the absolute minimum.

    Emergency crews spread sand and other absorbent materials on the spill to contain the liquid while volunteer firefighters and their engines stood close by to respond to any incident that might occur. Officials redirected traffic to Highway 39 North via Chip Pickering Drive and John Stennis Drive, and to Highway 11/80 by way of Russell Topton Road. After about three hours, officials felt the spill was contained sufficiently to allow traffic to flow north and south using the southbound lanes of Highway 45.

    David Sharp, director of the Lauderdale County Emergency Management Agency, said offloading the fuel onto another tanker that was brought in began around 3:30 p.m.Sharp said it would take several more hours to offload the fuel, remove the wreckage, and clean up the excess fuel that spilled.

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