The Health Ministry said the fire took place at the Noor Mohammadi hospital in eastern Cairo's Matariya neighborhood.

The ministry said in a statement that flames broke out at the hospital's radiology department without elaborating on what caused it. Provincial authorities said firefighters were able to put out the blaze.

Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said the injured patients suffered from burns, fractures and smoke inhalation. They were transferred to other hospitals in Cairo.

He said the causality tally was a preliminary one, suggesting it could increase.

A 2020 fire at an intensive care unit at a private hospital in Cairo killed seven coronavirus patients.