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Instagram Video Cited in $500 Million Ontario Warehouse Arson Charge Against Worker

Prosecutors say the blaze struck a distribution hub tied to interstate commerce, elevating the case to a federal arson prosecution.

Overview

  • Ontario police arrested 29-year-old Chamel Abdulkarim on suspicion of setting a fire at a Kimberly-Clark distribution center run by NFI Industries.
  • He is held without bail on a federal arson charge tied to interstate commerce plus state counts that include one aggravated arson and six arson charges.
  • Court filings say a video posted to his Instagram shows pallets of paper goods being lit, and a criminal complaint says he told officers, "I'm confessing."
  • The six-alarm blaze gutted the 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse filled with paper products, collapsed the roof, drew more than 140 firefighters, and caused no reported injuries.
  • Federal prosecutors estimate about $500 million in losses, and Kimberly-Clark says it is moving staff and arranging alternate logistics to limit disruption for customers.