Three officers and four inmates were hospitalized Saturday afternoon after a fight broke out in a maximum-security wing of the Cook County Jail, authorities said.

The incident occurred shortly after 4 p.m. in the Division 11 section of the sprawling jail complex, in the 3000 block of South California Avenue, said Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for the Cook County sheriff's office.

Jail officers were moving groups of inmates in the tier to a recreation area when one of the inmates refused a sergeant's order during a pat-down for weapons, Daly said.

The sergeant repeated the order and the inmate again refused, then punched the sergeant in the face, Daly said. Three more inmates joined the ensuing scuffle and three additional officers came to the sergeant's aid.

"Eventually the officers were able to subdue the inmates, get them cuffed, and order was restored," Daly said.

Three of the officers involved sustained bruises and contusions and were being treated in the Cermak Health Services facility on the jail grounds, Daly said.

Three of the inmates, including the one who allegedly started it, were taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital and Stroger Hospital of Cook County with similar injuries, Daly said. A fourth inmate who was not involved in the fight also was taken to a hospital after he complained of chest pains related to the commotion, she said.

Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said five ambulances were sent to the scene, and all of the inmates were transported in fair condition.

The entire division was on security lockdown while an investigation into the incident continued Saturday night, Daly said. No charges had been filed related to the fight as of Saturday night.