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Employee sets warehouse on fire/Massive fire in California

2026-04-09 13:26:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Employee sets warehouse on fire/Massive fire in California

A massive fire that broke out at a large warehouse in Ontario has been ruled an arson attack, and authorities have arrested a suspect in connection with the incident.

The flames started around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday near Hellman and Merrill streets, encompassing the Kimberly-Clark Distribution Center, a massive 1.2 million-square-foot facility. 175 firefighters and 20 fire engines responded to the scene, battling for hours to bring the blaze under control.

The warehouse, filled with paper products like Kleenex and Huggies diapers, quickly caught fire, with the fire suppression system damaged after part of the roof collapsed. The fire was classified as a six-alarm fire due to its size and intensity.

About 20 employees were in the building at the time of the fire, but fortunately no injuries were reported. A person who was initially reported missing later turned out to be the suspect in the arson.

Police identified the arrested man as 29-year-old Chamel Abdulkarim of Highland, who worked for NFI Industries, a third-party distributor for Kimberly-Clark. He faces several criminal charges and is being held without bail.

Authorities said the fire was considered suspicious in its early stages, due to its rapid spread and the presence of several possible points of origin. The motive for the incident remains unclear, as investigations continue.

In addition to the extensive material damage, the fire has left dozens of warehouse employees unemployed. Meanwhile, the thick smoke that blanketed the area forced authorities to advise residents, especially vulnerable groups, to stay indoors.

By Tuesday afternoon, the fire was under control and crews were continuing with the final extinguishing phase./ CNA





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