ARTICLE 4:
   MONROE, La. (AP) -- A flatbed truck carrying 40,000 pounds of
military rockets crashed Thursday after swerving across an
interstate highway, forcing the evacuation of about 1,000 people,
police said.
   An unknown amount of diesel fuel spilled from the truck after the
crash, and firefighters covered it with dirt and sand to prevent a
fire, Police Chief Joe Stewart said.
   The driver and another person in the truck, apparently a backup
driver, were injured, Stewart said. They were listed in stable
condition at a hospital.
   Stewart said fire or compression were the only two things that
could cause the rockets to explode. Despite the crash, which left
the truck on its side, the cargo seemed relatively undamaged, he
said.
   "initial examination shows that all straps seem secure," Stewart
said. Stewart said the westbound truck "crossed the median, crossed
the eastbound lanes, jumped a 30-foot concrete canal, went through a
chain link fence and came to rest under the carport of a house."
   The cause of the accident was not known immediately. Weather in
the area was fine at the time.
   Stewart said he did not know immediately where the truck was
coming from or where it was going, but said it was owned by a
private company under contract with the Army.
   Authorities closed a three-mile stretch of I-20 in both
directions near Monroe, about 280 miles northwest of New Orleans.
   Bomb experts from Barksdale Air Force Base near Shreveport were
summoned to check the shipment for damage and load the rockets onto
another flatbed truck they were bringing with them, Stewart said.