MANDEVILLE – Causeway Boulevard closed down this morning after a tanker carrying sulfuric acid burst into flames.
The fiery accident occurred about one mile north of the Causeway toll booth on the northbound lane near Brookside Drive in Mandeville, according to city officials.
All traffic was rerouted around the tanker truck fire as crews worked to contain the blaze, which produced thick plumes of black smoke.
Both southbound lanes and one northbound lane were reopened shortly before 11 a.m., and hazardous material cleanup crews were on the scene.
The truck’s payload of sulfuric acid was not disturbed and did not spill during the incident, according to city officials.
The fire began when the truck’s rear brakes locked up and burst into flames.
A Homeland Security agent stopped the truck and first responders were notified, allowing St. Tammany Fire District IV firefighters to contain the blaze before the tanker was compromised, according to city officials.
Stay tuned to WGNO for more information as this story develops.
