The fire broke out on the sixth floor of the Puerta del Mar hospital on Wednesday evening, the Diario de Cadiz newspaper said. The blaze engulfed at least two of the hospital's wards, according to photographs taken from the scene shared online.
A source in the hospital told the newspaper that the blaze was started by a COVID-19 patient who is said to have set fire to their mattress. The suspect has since been detained by law enforcement officers, the newspaper said.
Firefighters responding to the incident were said to have climbed up the hospital's fire exit to the sixth floor in order to subdue the blaze.