Man Charged with Arson in Ontario Warehouse Fire
Chamel Abdul Karim Arrested in Connection with Arson Fire at Ontario Warehouse
A 29-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an early morning arson at a Kimberly-Clark product distribution warehouse located in the 9500 block of Merrill Avenue, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported on Thursday.
Chamel Abdul Karim faces both federal and state arson-related charges. The federal charge encompasses allegations of “Arson of a Building Used in Interstate and Foreign Commerce and in Activities Affecting Interstate and Foreign Commerce.”
Karim was taken into custody by Ontario Police on Tuesday morning, linked to the suspected arson at the warehouse. The facility, operated by third-party logistics partner NFI Industries, housed a significant inventory of paper products, which firefighters noted contributed to the challenging blaze.
According to court documents, Karim allegedly filmed himself igniting several pallets of paper goods with a lighter and subsequently posted the video on his Instagram account. Federal prosecutors estimate the damages incurred from the fire to be around $500 million, affecting both the warehouse and its contents.
In the video, Karim can be heard stating, “There are things going on in the world right now, but you don’t go burning a building down because your life is more important. You are just going to make others’ lives worse.”
In response to the incident, Kimberly-Clark announced plans to relocate employees to other facilities to mitigate the impact on customers and consumers. Firefighters managed to contain the fire and prevented it from spreading to surrounding properties.
