Lucknow, Dec 11 (IANS): Over 50 patients and their attendants had a narrow escape on Monday when a fire broke out at a private hospital here in Uttar Pradesh, police said.

Fire tenders took more than three hours to douse the flames at the Scope Hospital in Vrindavan area, near the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences. No injury was reported.

At around 4 a.m., a UPS at the reception of the hospital burst into flames, and soon the blaze spread to other areas, creating panic.

Over two dozen patients were in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the time of the fire.

The hospital staff had a tough time taking out the critically ill patients as thick smoke engulfed the hospital wards, including the ICU.

Patients from the ICU have since been admitted to neighbouring private hospitals.

An official said that a probe has been ordered to check whether the hospital had fire extinguishing equipment installed and met the standard procedures prescribed by the Fire Department.