A fire at Mount Sinai hospital on the Upper East Side Wednesday night resulted in six firefighters getting injured and 600 people having to be evacuated from the east wing to the west wing of the complex.

Fire Department spokesman Frank Dwyer said firefighters responded to a three alarm fire which started shortly before 6:30 p. m. in the mechanical room on the second floor and spread to a first floor emergency room. Fire officials say no civilian injuries have been reported.

Mount Sinai which occupies four square blocks on the city's Upper East Side was founded in downtown Manhattan in 1852 and the 12 story hospital has nearly 1200 beds. Dwyer said patients on the third through 11th floors were moved from the east wings to the west wings as firefighters searched the building.

Family members of patients rushed to the hospital as news of patients being shifted was given to them. One such was Ellen Marakowitz who rushed to the hospital from her Manhattan home after an aide for her 88-year-old mother, Helen Marakowitz, called to say she was being moved from her hospital room because of the fire. "I'm sure she's fine, but it would be nice to know where she is," Marakowitz said. "My mother's 88 and the aide is terrified, so I'm not just going to ignore them." Hospital representatives did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment.

Janet Montero, a manager at a nearby restaurant said flames from the hospital were visible from the adjacent Madison Avenue. Traffic in the area has been affected and Metro Traffic reported that Madison Avenue is closed between 96th Street and 103rd Street. The northbound M1, M2, M3 and M4 are all being forced to make detours due to the street closures. (Additional reporting by Harkiran)