TORONTO -- A tractor-trailer carrying a huge load of toilet paper crashed and caught fire after spilling its load on a highway near Dallas, Texas.

The 18-wheeler, which was said to be travelling from Alabama to San Antonio, crashed along Interstate 20 early Wednesday morning in the city of Hutchins, just southeast of Dallas.

Local media reported that the driver of the truck had allegedly fallen asleep behind the wheel.

The crash caused the tractor-trailer to catch fire, and police were forced to close all westbound lanes of the interstate for several hours.

The driver did not suffer any serious injuries.

The truck was carrying a cargo of industrial-sized rolls of toilet paper typically used in stores, restaurants and businesses.

The large rolls of toilet paper were strewn across the westbound lanes of the highway.

Texas transportation officials said some of the spilled cargo "burned extensively."

Toilet paper has become a hot commodity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting shoppers around the world to panic-buy and hoard it in bulk.