East Lyme - Six cars were involved in two nearly simultaneous accidents Wednesday morning after a load of 7-foot-tall metal spools spilled off a tractor-trailer and bounced into traffic on the opposite side of Interstate 95.

Police reported minor injuries. The northbound side of the highway was closed for about an hour.

The tractor-trailer was heading south on I-95, according to state police Sgt. William Blanchette, when the spools fell off. Two of the spools stayed in the southbound lanes of the highway, one fell off into the right shoulder and another crossed the median into northbound traffic.

On the northbound side, two accidents occurred. Blanchette said it was unclear which one happened first.

In one, the spool hit a tractor-trailer heading north, forcing the truck into a van owned by the state of Connecticut. The van sustained heavy front-end damage and caught fire.

The second accident involved four cars.

The accidents happened at about 10:45 a.m. between exits 72 and 73 on I-95.