Twenty six newborn infants were evacuated safely after a minor fire broke out at a district general hospital in Kalaburagi on Wednesday, police said.

An air-conditioner blast due to suspected short-circuit triggered the fire and filled the neonatal intensive care unit with smoke but alert doctors and hospital staff of the government hospital acted swiftly to shift the infants, police said.

All the 26 infants were transferred to private hospitals.

No infant has been affected by the incident. Short-circuit in the AC is suspected to have caused the blast," District Surgeon Nalini Namoshi said.

An air-conditioner exploded but the hospital staff acted fast and rescued the infants, IGP (North-East Zone) B Shivakumar said.

A fire tender was rushed to the spot and the fire was put out, police said.

Karnataka Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil has sought a report on the incident, officials said.