The individual arrested on arson charges connected to an April 7 distribution center fire in Ontario, California, allegedly recorded himself igniting multiple pallets of paper goods. The blaze destroyed the 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse leased by Kimberly-Clark and operated by NFI Industries, causing approximately $500 million in damage.
READ MORE: Kimberly-Clark Products Burn After Suspected Arson Destroys Warehouse
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Chamel Abdulkarim, a 29-year-old NFI Industries employee of Highland, California, posted videos to social media of the alleged act. The person recording can be heard saying, “If you’re not going to pay us enough to [expletive] live or afford to live, at least pay us enough not to do this [expletive].”
Abdulkarim also allegedly made statements via phone and text message, including “I just cost these [expletive] billions,” “1% is a [expletive] joke” and “All you had to do was pay us enough to live. Pay us more of the value WE bring. Not corporate. Didn’t see the shareholders picking up a shift.”
Chamel AbdulkarimOntario Police Department
Officials arrested Abdulkarim and placed him in custody in San Bernardino County without bail. The county’s District Attorney’s Office filed aggravated arson and arson of a structure charges. If convicted, he would face up to 20 years in prison.
The Ontario Fire Department responded to the six-alarm incident early April 7. According to fire and police officials, the response included 20 engine companies, 15 truck companies and nearly 175 firefighters. No injuries occurred.
Kimberly-Clark said it has business interruption and property damage insurance policies in place. The company added that the fire did not impact any manufacturing assets and that it has identified alternative locations for inbound shipments while working to secure additional warehousing capacity through local partners. It plans to provide further details at its next quarterly business update, scheduled for April 28.
Insurance Journal cited Bloomberg Intelligence senior industry analyst Diana Gomes, who said the fire could add pressure to West Coast supply chains.
