DUBAI (Reuters) -A huge fire broke out at a hospital in Iran's capital Tehran, state media reported on Thursday, with an official saying the blaze had engulfed the building's exterior facade.

       There were no immediate reports of casualties or the cause of incident.

       State TV said the area around the Gandhi Hospital in northern Tehran has been cordoned off and the hospital was being evacuated.

       Tehran Fire Department spokesperson Jalal Malaki said the fire started at 1900 local time (1530 GMT) and firefighters had been dispatched to the area.

       "Initial reports indicate that the fire primarily affected the exterior of the hospital building," Maleki told state TV.

       (Reporting by Elwely Elwelly and Tala Ramadan;Writing by Parisa Hafezi;Editing by David Evans, Andrew Cawthorne, Peter Graff)