(CNN) -- Sixteen people died in Ukraine early Sunday after a fire broke out in a state facility for the elderly, according to the Emergency Ministry of Ukraine.
The retirement home was a wooden house built in 1950 in the village of Bile in the Dubrovitskiy district of the Rivne region, the ministry reported.
As a result of the fire, 16 of the 27 people in the building at the time of the fire died. Eleven people, including two staff members, were rescued and are receiving medical treatment, according to the ministry.
The government of Ukraine, along with the prosecutor's office, created a commission to investigate the cause of the fire.
"One of the residents was seen smoking right before the accident. A cigarette stub might have caused this fire," Vice Prime Minister for Social Policy Serhiy Tigipko said at a news conference.
Tigipko promised the government would provide financial support to the victims of the fire and their families.
Meanwhile, Serhiy Kluev, the first vice prime minister for economy and trade, ordered fire checks in public buildings across Ukraine.
The country's ombudsman called for an independent investigation of the fire, noting such centers lack medical personnel to help the elderly in case of such emergencies as fires. The office called on the state to provide insurance for the residents of retirement homes.
There are more than 700 retirement homes in Ukraine.
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