A fire broke out at an apartment building in Gyeonggi Province, leaving one dead and 14 others injured, according to fire services on Tuesday.

According to the Gyeonggi-do Fire Service, the fire occurred on the ninth floor of a 15-story apartment building in the city of Gunpo in Gyeonggi Province at around 7:15 a.m.

A man in his 50s, who was living on the ninth floor, was pronounced dead at the site. His wife, also in her 50s, was sent to a hospital for severe burns and breathing difficulties due to smoke inhalation. She is reported to be in critical condition.

Thirteen others living between the ninth and 12th floor were also sent to the hospital for severe and minor injuries due to smoke inhalation, including a woman in her 80s who also lived on the ninth floor. It was reported that most of those injured in the fire were in their 60s or older.

Five people were inside the deceased man’s house where the fire occurred, including their son, daughter and granddaughter. While the man’s wife, son, daughter and granddaughter were able to evacuate safely, the man was unable to get out of the house because of issues with limited mobility.

The local fire department mobilized 47 pieces of firefighting equipment, including pumper fire trucks, and 114 personnel. They extinguished the fire at 8:26 a.m., just more than an hour after the fire broke out.

The firefighters also recovered the deceased man’s body inside his home on the ninth floor.

During a press briefing, fire authorities stated that sprinklers had not been installed in the apartment building. The apartment was built and authorized for use in 1993, and at the time the law did not require sprinklers to be installed. Builders first had the obligation to install sprinklers in buildings higher than 11 stories in 2005, according to the Firefighting System Installation Business Act.

Authorities added that compared to the scale of the fire, the apartment was relatively unharmed thanks to its good ventilation system.

“The smoke from the fire seems to have gone upward after it started to spread without entering other units,” said fire officials. “Therefore, the damage from the fire was not as bad as we feared it could have been.”

Police said that, based on statements made by bereaved relatives and witnesses, they did not suspect arson and that the fire was likely caused by accident. However, police will conduct a joint on-site investigation with the local fire department to investigate the exact cause behind the fire. Police are also considering requesting an autopsy of the deceased man.

“At this point, there is no clear indication of where and how the fire started,” said a police official. “Once the site is cleared of smoke and is accessible, we will begin to conduct a joint inspection later today to investigate the circumstances further.”