Firefighters have worked through the night to control a blaze in northern Germany after a tanker filled with gasoline exploded in a harbor near Osnabrueck.

Authorities said Tuesday that the ship caught fire late Monday at BP's Emsland refinery and exploded three times, but firefighters were able to keep the blaze from reaching other ships.

The Osnabruecker Zeitung newspaper reports five crew members escaped the fire, with one treated for light injuries.

The Dortmund-Ems canal was closed until further notice.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.