Athens, GA, November 16, 2022 - Athens-Clarke County Fire & Emergency Services was dispatched at 9:21 a.m. to a report of smoke inside one of the bathrooms at Cedar Shoals High School. While still responding, there were updates that students had all been evacuated and that there was "black water coming out on the floor and into the hallway". Our first unit arrived at the scene at 9:24 a.m. The crews were directed by school staff to the area in which smoke was seen. As crews made their way toward the area of the bathroom, smoke conditions worsened, and upon entry into the bathroom, the volume of smoke was so great that visibility was zero. The sound of an activated sprinkler head was heard.

Firefighters found what appeared to be a toilet paper dispenser that had been set on fire inside one of the bathroom stalls.  The fire was mostly extinguished by the sprinkler system and firefighters used a water can to completely extinguish the fire. Once the fire was fully extinguished, firefighters worked with school maintenance to shut off the sprinkler system. After the sprinklers were shut off, firefighters utilized ventilation fans to evacuate the smoke. The Hazardous Materials crew checked the air quality with monitors to confirm that the environment was safe for occupants to re-enter. The scene was then turned back over to maintenance and school officials.

The fire is believed to have been intentionally set. No injuries were reported.  Athens-Clarke County Police have detained a suspect for questioning.