A deranged warehouse employee has been identified by authorities as the alleged firebug behind Tuesday’s massive Kimberly-Clark warehouse blaze in San Bernardino County.
Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, of Highland has been arrested on two felony arson charges for torching a warehouse operated by consumer goods company Kimberly-Clark in Ontario, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation.
Abdulkarim was captured near the intersection of Harrison Avenue and Limonite Avenue in Eastvale near Ontario, according to court records. Abdulkarim is being held without bail at West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.
He is accused of intentionally setting the massive fire that engulfed the nearly-1.2 million square foot building near South Hellman Avenue and Merrill Avenue at around 12:30 a.m.
Sources with knowledge of the case said Abdulkarim is a disgruntled employee of the warehouse who vented against his job in posts he made online. Investigators are still piecing together the details of his motive.
About 20 employees were inside the warehouse when the fire broke out, including Abdulkarim, according to sources with knowledge of the case. Abdulkarim was initially missing, but was later found, sources said.
“This fire was very quickly identified as suspicious in nature,” said Ontario Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Wedell. “There was a subject of interest identified very early on in the incident. That subject has been arrested.”
Tuesday’s six-alarm fire was so large neighboring fire agencies including San Bernardino County Fire Department had to intervene. About 140 firefighters battled the fire, which raged through the day.
The warehouse that burned is worth around $156 million, according to Zillow.
The building caught fire with astonishing intensity thanks to the paper products inside that helped fuel the flames. Kimberly-Clark is a hygiene company that owns brands like Huggies and Kleenex.
The company told The California Post that the warehouse was operated by a third-party partner.
“We are aware of the fire at our distribution center in Ontario, California earlier today,” a Kimberly-Clark spokesperson told the California Post.
“Safety is our top priority, and we can confirm there are no reported injuries. The facility is operated by a third-party partner, and we are working closely with them and local authorities. We will share additional information as it becomes available.”
Other fire agencies like San Bernardino County Fire Department, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department, Chino Fire Department, and the Riverside Fire Department assisted the fire efforts.
“The Ontario Fire Department is battling a 6-alarm warehouse fire. The building contains paper products. Units from many neighboring departments are on scene supporting the suppression efforts,” the San Bernardino County Fire Department wrote on X.
It’s not known how long Abdulkarim worked at the warehouse or what his role was.
The incident is being investigated by the Ontario Police Department and the Ontario Fire Department.
Reps for the fire department and the police said officials would share information on the case at a press conference scheduled for Tuesday evening.
