At least four people have died and another is in critical condition after a fire broke out at an outlet shopping mall in the central city of Daejeon on Monday morning. Two others are still missing. 

According to local fire officials on Monday, one man in his 50s and another in his 30s, who were found in an underground level of Hyundai Premium Outlet, died after being transported to a hospital.

A third man in his 40s was also hospitalized after incurring serious injuries. Officials said a search is also underway to find four missing outlet employees.

The fire reportedly started at around 7:45 a.m. and 126 fire officials and 40 firefighting apparatuses were dispatched to the scene. It appears the fire was fueled by cardboard boxes that were stacked in a loading dock on the basement floor. 

Although there were no shoppers in the outlet mall at the time of the fire, some 110 people were forced to evacuate from nearby accommodation buildings.

Authorities will conduct an investigation to determine the cause of the fire, including the suspicion that an electric car exploded while being charged in an underground parking garage.