MT. VERNON — Four people were taken to the hospital, including two police officers after an apartment building caught fire in Mt. Vernon early Thursday morning.

Police arrived at the building in the 500 block of Short Street to find heavy black smoke in the hallways of the apartment building. Those officers went door to door to evacuate the burning building before Mt. Vernon firefighters arrived on scene.

Those officers, along with two residents were taken to area hospitals for treatment of smoke inhalation.

Mt. Vernon Fire Chief Kevin Sargent says they believe the cause of the fire was a candle left lit on a table in a living area of the building owned by the Jefferson County Housing Authority.