Tenants moved from 10 apartments in north Macon late Wednesday night after a tossed cigarette ignited pine straw that set the building on fire.

Macon-Bibb County firefighters contained the 6 p.m. blaze at Lullwater at Bass before it could do major damage at the complex in the 1600 block of Bass Road, not far from the entrance to Bass Pro Shops.

Fire investigator Lt. Ellen Kicklighter said one unit sustained damage when firefighters had to cut through a ceiling to make sure the fire wall had held.

Some of the apartments had water damage, but the residents were put up in hotels because the power was off to that part of the 20-unit building, she said.

Capt. Mike Cox said flames burning the back support beam did reach into the attic, but there was no major fire damage inside the living quarters.

"The fire walls stopped it," Kicklighter said. "Hopefully people will one day learn that you need to extinguish a cigarette properly, and not in the grass or on the side of the road."