WELLS (AP) – A tractor-trailer hauling explosives crashed along the Maine Turnpike on Thursday, prompting an evacuation of the immediate area and a four-hour shutdown of an 18-mile section of the busy toll road.

There was no explosion after the 12:15 p.m. crash, and no injuries were reported, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety.

State police quoted the driver, whose name was not immediately released, as saying that a gust of wind slammed his truck into a Jersey barrier and that it ended up on its side in the median.

The truck, from Maine Drilling & Blasting in Gardiner, was carrying liquid ammonium nitrate to New Hampshire, and a half-mile area around the crash site was evacuated as a precaution.

A hazardous materials team was called to the scene to assist police and fire personnel.

The load was stabilized soon after the crash, and emergency crews removed blasting caps to eliminate a potential source of ignition, McCausland said.

The tractor was destroyed, but the tanker portion of the rig was not seriously damaged. It was righted and will be towed to its original destination, McCausland said.

The turnpike was closed in both directions, from Exit 7 in York to Exit 25 in Kennebunk, forcing motorists through much of York County to find alternate routes. The highway was reopened in time for evening commuter traffic.