Just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, officers with the Picayune Police Department responded to a report of a suspected chemical spill on Interstate 59 at exit 10 in Carriere.

Assistant to the Chief of Police Jeremy Magri said the call came into the department after a Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department deputy detected a strong chemical odor while driving along I-59.

The deputy pulled off the interstate and found an 18 wheeler, belonging to Evergreen Environment Company, at the Keith’s service station was the source of the smell. Magri said the deputy reported to police officers that he noticed a liquid he could not identify was dripping from the trailer being towed by the large vehicle. The liquid was determined to be a corrosive tree or weed killing compound, Magri said.

Further investigation determined the spill occurred when, for an unknown reason, on top of the trailer a cap securing the chemical opened, causing the chemical to spill onto the roadway. Employees with the Mississippi Department of Transportation and with Picayune’s Public Works were called to the scene. The Picayune Public Works Department assumed responsibility for cleanup of the chemical, which was determined not to be a hazardous threat.