A fire tore through a Dusseldorf hospital on Monday night, killing one person and nearly 20 others, according to firefighters.

The blaze began on the second floor of the Marien Hospital, located in the northern part of the city. It is said to have broken out in a room adjacent to the one where the 77-year-old man was found dead.

The flames then spread upwards and throughout the hospital's five floors.

Approximately 100 people had to be treated and some 72 suffered from smoke inhalation. Seven of the injured were in critical condition.

Most of the injured were transported to other area hospitals, but one patient had to be flown by helicopter to a clinic in the city of Aachen.

Over a hundred firefighters responded to the scene and it took roughly one hour to control the fire, due to a leaking oxygen line that kept it going.

Victims were rescued through the use of staircases and emergency exits, as well as outside ladders.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

jcg/stb (AFP, dpa)

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