Overturned truck closes I-10 in New Orleans

(CNN) -- A truck carrying acetylene-filled cylinders was engulfed in flames Saturday after it overturned and some containers exploded, closing part of Interstate 10 in New Orleans on gubernatorial election day, authorities said.

The driver, who suffered minor injuries, apparently fell asleep at the wheel about 5 a.m. (6 a.m. ET) and hit a guardrail, said Louisiana Highway Patrol Trooper Louis Calato.

Debris from the shattered cylinders hit five cars, he said. There was no hazard, he added.

The highway was expected to be closed in both directions for hours while the spill was cleared, and traffic was being rerouted. Calato said more than 200 cylinders were on the truck.

Saturday's election is a key one for Louisiana.

In the race for governor, 12 candidates are running. Republican U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, who narrowly lost the governor's race in 2003, was trying to capture the majority of votes he needs to avoid a runoff. He was leading lesser-known rivals in pre-election polls.

It is the first state election since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the area in 2005. Polls close at 8 p.m. (9 p.m. ET). E-mail to a friend