At 10:40 p.m., an oil barge is loading 900 cubic meters of gas (super benzol) in the river port at a refinery on the Dortmund-Ems canal when a fire broke out on board. The barge ignited completely and three successive explosions occured, gasoline leak spreads in water and on the pontoons which ignite in turn. The five crew members managed to get away but one of them, slightly burned, is hospitalized. Local residents are homebound, roads are cut off the navigation in the canal is closed. The ship sank in 3.5 m of water but the fire did not spread to other boats due to the intervention of firefighters. They use a heavy foam (specific for oil) to prevent the leak to spread further on the river, but gasoline in the water ignites repeatedly. The fire was under control at 6:44. Firefighters spent the rest of the day recovering gasoline fled with absorbent materials. The barge was built in 1954. An investigation for negligence on safety is opened by the german administrative authorities.