In Ontario, California, just after midnight on Tuesday, a huge fire tore through a 1.2‑million‑square‑foot Kimberly‑Clark distribution warehouse filled with paper products. Around 12:30 a.m., fire crews were called to the blaze near South Hellman Avenue and Merrill Avenue as thick smoke and towering flames lit up the sky. Firefighters quickly realized this was no ordinary accident when the flames spread with startling speed and intensity.
About 20 workers were inside that night; they all made it out without injury as crews pulled them to safety. But one man, 29‑year‑old Highland resident Chamel Abdulkarim, was unaccounted for in the early rush. Police later located him near Eastvale and took him into custody on multiple felony arson charges. He is being held without bail as authorities pursue the case.
Officials say the fire was a six‑alarm emergency that drew roughly 175 firefighters from agencies across the region. Engines pumped water on the flames for hours, but the blaze grew so fierce that crews eventually fought from outside, and parts of the warehouse roof collapsed under the heat. The huge stacks of paper goods inside acted like fuel, turning the building into an inferno that firefighters struggled to contain.
Investigators quickly treated the fire as suspicious. Early in the response, fire officials identified a person of interest, and calls from the public helped point them toward Abdulkarim. A video circulating on social media appears to show a man lighting pallets of products inside the warehouse, telling the camera “All you had to do was pay us enough to live,” before the flames erupted. That footage is now part of the investigation.
The warehouse, operated by a third‑party logistics company on behalf of Kimberly‑Clark, held everyday products like tissues, diapers and paper goods. The loss is estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and smoke and ash from the fire drifted over nearby neighborhoods as firefighters worked to knock down hotspots.
Authorities have not released a full motive, but they are examining Abdulkarim’s role, employment history and any possible grievances he may have posted online before the fire. Law enforcement says the investigation remains active and that more details will come as they interview witnesses and review evidence.
For now, the blaze has left a massive facility in ruins and a community stunned that one night of work turned into one of the largest industrial fires the area has seen in years.
