One person died in a Mount Vernon apartment fire Monday.

The fire broke out at 25 South First Ave. around 5:30 p.m. Monday in a rear apartment on the second floor. Firefighters say they arrived on the scene within minutes to find a man dead and a woman in cardiac arrest.

"The firefighters and EMS worked on her on the first landing and they brought her back and transported her to Mount Vernon Hospital," says Mount Vernon Deputy Fire Chief Ricky Montana.

The male victim, believed to be in his 60s, was found in the living room. The female victim was found in the kitchen.

Fire crews say the flames were contained to only the one apartment.

The fire chief says he was surprised the fire was fatal, considering it was contained within minutes, but noted the apartment's smoke detectors were not working.

"It's hard to determine whether they were up or sleeping. One victim was found in the kitchen ... so I believe they were up, but we have to investigate everything thoroughly before we can make a determination," says Montana.

All apartments in the building were evacuated as a result of the fire.