Indore | A fire broke out in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Indore city following which five patients were evacuated safely from there, an official said on Thursday.

The blaze erupted in the ICU located on the first floor of the Care CHL Hospital on A B Road late Wednesday night.

It was a minor fire, but caused panic and chaos as smoke spread in the premises. The facility's glasses were broken to move the patients to a safer place before the blaze was put out, eyewitnesses said.

Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr BS Saitya said there were five patients in the ICU at the time of the incident and all of them were immediately shifted to another room.

"The five patients are completely safe. Prima facie, it seems the fire started due to a short-circuit in some appliance in the ICU," he added.