NEW GLOUCESTER – About 100 homes were evacuated and traffic was diverted Thursday after a tanker truck carrying 9,000 gallons of propane overturned on Route 100, officials said.

The accident occurred just before noon when the southbound tanker collided with another vehicle, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety.

McCausland said there were no injuries and no apparent leakage. Homes in a one-mile radius were evacuated as a precaution.

The area was still evacuated late Thursday night as the propane was being transferred from one tanker truck to another with hazmat team members monitoring the situation.

Scarborough Fire Chief Michael Thurlow, who headed the hazmat team, said the propane transfer began after 5 p.m. He said it was a delicate and potentially dangerous process that could take hours to complete.

Besides evacuating nearby homes, police closed down Route 100 and some other nearby roads, forcing motorists to find alternate routes.