The suspect in a massive fire at an Ontario warehouse posted video in which he appeared to set himself on fire and complain about being underpaid, according to video reviewed by The Times.
According to the Ontario Fire Department, crews responded to the 1.2 million-square-foot Kimberly-Clark Paper Products facility Tuesday morning and were immediately evacuated due to “extreme fire growth.”
The fire caused the building’s roof to collapse and turned into a six-alarm fire, requiring the response of approximately 175 firefighters and the evacuation of approximately 20 employees.
Ontario Police Department Cpl. Emily Williams told KTLA that police are investigating the video. “We have reports that he has provided some information on social media,” Williams said.
Chamel Abdulkareem, 29, of Highland, was arrested in connection with the fire, according to authorities. Fire officials said Abdulkareem was employed by NFI Industries, a third-party distribution company for Kimberly-Clark products.
On his Facebook page, Abdulkareem had shared several first-person videos showing a man – presumably Abdulkareem – lighting a warehouse on fire. Alex Monteiro, who said he met Abdulkareem at the warehouse that night, obtained a screen recording of the video through a mutual friend on Facebook.
“You know, if you’re not going to pay us enough to live… at least pay us enough not to,” the man says as he lights a roll of toilet paper on fire.
In a later video, the person filming continued to light the fire as a radio played in the background reporting the fire and instructing workers to evacuate.
“All you have to do is pay us enough to live,” the narrator says as the camera focuses on several stacks of paper products that are beginning to catch fire.
“There goes your list,” he says in the final video as the flames begin to spread out of control.
The Ontario Police Department did not immediately respond to The Times’ questions about the video.
“It was him who posted it himself doing it,” Monteiro wrote in an email to The Times, referring to the video. “I wouldn’t have put it out like this if it wasn’t.”
Times staff writers Clara Harter and Joseph Serna contributed to this report.
