A Monday-night fire at a Hinesville apartment complex displaced three families.
The blaze broke out in a six-unit structure in the Tabby Villa complex on Frasier Circle around 10 p.m. Three of the six units were occupied at the time, but no one was injured, according to Hinesville Fire Department Lt. Gene Long.
Firefighters arrived to find flames and smoke billowing from an apartment on the left side of the building. The fire began in the kitchen of that unit, Hinesville Fire Department Capt. Kris Johanson said, but the cause still is unknown. The unit is uninhabitable, and two adjoining apartments sustained smoke damage.
Alonzo Jones, who lives alone in the unit where the fire started, said he had been talking with someone outside. When he entered his home, he smelled smoke and found the kitchen on fire.
Tabby Villa residents Khanh Tran and his wife, Therese Del Fie Rio, live next door to Jones. They said they were using their computer when Jones came over and asked for a fire extinguisher. Tran said he did not have one but carried a cooler full of water to Jones’ apartment and tried, without success, to put out the fire.  
The flames had spread to the ceiling by then, Tran said, so he went back to his apartment to gather personal belongings. The couple said smoke began to seep into their apartment, so they dropped their items on the living-room floor and left.
Firefighters arrived shortly thereafter and spent about seven minutes bringing the blaze under control, Johanson said. They continued to mop up hot spots for several more hours.
The Red Cross is assisting the displaced families.