Vancouver police are investigating a multi-vehicle crash involving an ambulance Monday night.

The collision happened around 11 p.m. PT at the corner of Oak Street and 12th Avenue, right outside Vancouver General Hospital.

Investigators believe the ambulance was travelling north through an intersection on Oak Street with its lights and sirens blaring when it was hit by a grey Honda Civic heading east on 12th Avenue, police said in a statement Tuesday morning.

Const. Steve Addison said the impact pushed the ambulance into a third vehicle.

Five people were taken to hospital as a precaution: three paramedics, the patient they were transporting and the driver of the Civic.

The intersection was closed for several hours Monday night. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

The accident shut down the intersection in all directions for a number of hours as investigators gathered evidence at the scene.

The crash remains under investigation.