Campus Alert Archive
SAC

Student Sets Bathroom Fire in 7-Story Learning Center at San Antonio College, Triggering 39-Unit SAFD Response

TXarsonemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On November 11, 2019, around 2:00 PM CST, a fire broke out in the third-floor bathroom of the Moody Learning Center at San Antonio College, a seven-story academic building at 1800 North Main Avenue. The building was evacuated as 39 San Antonio Fire Department units responded to thick black smoke that prompted a second alarm. No injuries were reported, but investigators later arrested 19-year-old student Shedeur Keener in connection with setting three separate fires on campus.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
San Antonio College
Community College · TX
~19,000 studentsAlamo Colleges Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction186 chars
Alamo Colleges Alert: EVACUATION -- San Antonio College Moody Learning Center at 1800 N Main Ave. Fire reported in building. Evacuate now. SAFD responding. Avoid area. Updates to follow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Alamo Colleges District uses a shared alert system covering San Antonio College and its four sister colleges
39 SAFD units responded at the height of the incident, with a second alarm sounded due to heavy smoke on the third floor
Firefighters had difficulty locating the fire because of the dense smoke inside the seven-story building
ALL CLEARSMS
Approximate reconstruction272 chars
Alamo Colleges Alert: All Clear -- San Antonio College Moody Learning Center. Fire has been extinguished. Building is being ventilated. SAFD has cleared the scene. No injuries reported. Check with your professor regarding class status. The incident is under investigation.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Firefighters broke two windows on the upper floors to ventilate the heavy smoke that had accumulated in the seven-story building
The fire was set in a third-floor bathroom; a small number of sprinklers activated
SAFD Arson Bureau opened an investigation the same day that led to an arrest five days later
Context

Background

San Antonio College is one of the five colleges in the Alamo Colleges District and one of the largest community colleges in Texas, serving approximately 19,000 students. It is also a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution, with a majority-Hispanic student body. The Moody Learning Center at 1800 North Main Avenue is a seven-story academic tower housing classrooms and study spaces. On November 11, 2019, at approximately 2:00 PM CST, a fire ignited in a third-floor bathroom, producing thick black smoke that triggered a two-alarm response. 39 SAFD units responded, and crews had difficulty locating the fire due to the smoke; they ultimately broke two windows to ventilate the building. The fire caused approximately $50,000 in damage. On November 16, SAFD Arson Bureau arrested Shedeur Keener, a 19-year-old SAC student, who admitted during questioning that he had set three separate fires on the campus. The case underscores arson risk in large open-access community college academic buildings where bathroom fire-setting is historically a common pattern.
Analysis

Key Findings

Fire ignited in the third-floor bathroom of the Moody Learning Center at approximately 2:00 PM CST on November 11, 2019
39 SAFD units responded and a second alarm was sounded due to heavy smoke
Firefighters broke two windows to ventilate the building; the fire caused approximately $50,000 in damage
No injuries were reported; all occupants evacuated successfully
SAFD Arson Bureau arrested SAC student Shedeur Keener on November 16, 2019 for setting three fires on campus
San Antonio College is a Hispanic-Serving Institution with approximately 19,000 students
Outcome
No injuries reported. Firefighters extinguished the third-floor bathroom fire after breaking two windows to ventilate heavy smoke. The fire caused approximately $50,000 in damage. SAC student Shedeur Keener was arrested by SAFD Arson Bureau on November 16, 2019, and admitted to setting three fires on the campus. The case highlighted arson vulnerability in open community college academic buildings.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Fire prompts evacuation at San Antonio College - KSAT-12
    ksat.com
  2. News
    Smoky fire prompts evacuation of building at San Antonio College - KTSA
    ktsa.com
  3. News
    Crews put out small fire at San Antonio College - KENS5
    kens5.com
  4. News
    SAFD Arson Bureau arrests suspect in connection with two-alarm fire at SAC - KSAT-12
    ksat.com
  5. News
    'It was an accident, I'm sorry': SAFD arrests suspect connected to San Antonio College fire - KENS5
    kens5.com
Tags
firearsoncommunity-collegehsitexassan-antonioacademic-buildingtwo-alarmarrestalamo-colleges
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion