Topline: A 29-year-old Highland warehouse employee is due in court after prosecutors said he set the six-alarm Ontario fire that destroyed a Kimberly-Clark distribution center and caused an estimated $500 million in damage.
Published: April 13, 2026 1:20 pm ET
Shawn Fletcher
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Chamel Abdulkarim
Ontario Police Department
Ontario Police Department
ONTARIO, CA — A 29-year-old Highland, California man is due in court Monday for arraignment after prosecutors said he set the massive six-alarm fire that destroyed a Kimberly-Clark distribution center in Ontario.
FOX 11 Los Angeles reported that Chamel Abdulkarim, an employee of NFI Industries, the logistics provider for the facility, was charged after investigators said he recorded himself setting the blaze inside the warehouse.
Federal prosecutors filed charges against Abdulkarim on April 9, according to the report. An affidavit filed with the federal complaint alleges Abdulkarim recorded video early Tuesday morning showing himself setting fire to multiple pallets of paper goods inside the warehouse.
Authorities said the fire destroyed the 1.2-million-square-foot facility, which stored household products including Kleenex and Cottonelle, and caused an estimated $500 million in damage. Officials said the building suffered a total roof collapse and is considered a complete loss.
According to the Justice Department, Abdulkarim also sent text messages and made phone calls boasting about the destruction. One message cited in the report said, “I just cost these [expletive] billions,” and another said, “All you had to do was pay us enough to live… Didn’t see the shareholders picking up a shift.”
Authorities arrested Abdulkarim about two miles from the scene shortly after the fire broke out and forced 175 firefighters into what the report described as a defensive battle. He remains in custody without bail at the West Valley Detention Center, according to the report.
The fire began at about 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 7, according to the published timeline. Federal investigators with the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives later joined the case, and the U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal criminal complaint on Thursday, April 9, before announcing deliberate-arson charges on Friday, April 10.
Abdulkarim is scheduled to be arraigned Monday, April 13, on state criminal charges in San Bernardino County Superior Court. According to authorities, a motive remains under investigation as investigators continue reviewing his social media activity and digital footprint.
If convicted on the federal charges alone, Abdulkarim faces up to 20 years in prison, according to the report. Kimberly-Clark said it expects to provide more detailed information about the financial impact of the fire during its quarterly update on April 28.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Suspected Ontario Warehouse Arsonist Due in Court for Arraignment
A 29-year-old Highland warehouse employee is due in court after prosecutors said he set the six-alarm Ontario fire that destroyed a Kimberly-Clark distribution center and caused an estimated $500 million in damage.
By Shawn Fletcher
Published: April 13, 2026 1:20 pm ET
Chamel Abdulkarim
Ontario Police Department
Ontario Police Department
ONTARIO, CA — A 29-year-old Highland, California man is due in court Monday for arraignment after prosecutors said he set the massive six-alarm fire that destroyed a Kimberly-Clark distribution center in Ontario.
FOX 11 Los Angeles reported that Chamel Abdulkarim, an employee of NFI Industries, the logistics provider for the facility, was charged after investigators said he recorded himself setting the blaze inside the warehouse.
Federal prosecutors filed charges against Abdulkarim on April 9, according to the report. An affidavit filed with the federal complaint alleges Abdulkarim recorded video early Tuesday morning showing himself setting fire to multiple pallets of paper goods inside the warehouse.
Authorities said the fire destroyed the 1.2-million-square-foot facility, which stored household products including Kleenex and Cottonelle, and caused an estimated $500 million in damage. Officials said the building suffered a total roof collapse and is considered a complete loss.
According to the Justice Department, Abdulkarim also sent text messages and made phone calls boasting about the destruction. One message cited in the report said, “I just cost these [expletive] billions,” and another said, “All you had to do was pay us enough to live… Didn’t see the shareholders picking up a shift.”
Authorities arrested Abdulkarim about two miles from the scene shortly after the fire broke out and forced 175 firefighters into what the report described as a defensive battle. He remains in custody without bail at the West Valley Detention Center, according to the report.
The fire began at about 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 7, according to the published timeline. Federal investigators with the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives later joined the case, and the U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal criminal complaint on Thursday, April 9, before announcing deliberate-arson charges on Friday, April 10.
Abdulkarim is scheduled to be arraigned Monday, April 13, on state criminal charges in San Bernardino County Superior Court. According to authorities, a motive remains under investigation as investigators continue reviewing his social media activity and digital footprint.
If convicted on the federal charges alone, Abdulkarim faces up to 20 years in prison, according to the report. Kimberly-Clark said it expects to provide more detailed information about the financial impact of the fire during its quarterly update on April 28.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Suspected Ontario Warehouse Arsonist Due in Court for Arraignment
A 29-year-old Highland warehouse employee is due in court after prosecutors said he set the six-alarm Ontario fire that destroyed a Kimberly-Clark distribution center and caused an estimated $500 million in damage.
By Shawn Fletcher
Published: April 13, 2026 1:20 pm ET
Chamel Abdulkarim
Ontario Police Department
Ontario Police Department
ONTARIO, CA — A 29-year-old Highland, California man is due in court Monday for arraignment after prosecutors said he set the massive six-alarm fire that destroyed a Kimberly-Clark distribution center in Ontario.
FOX 11 Los Angeles reported that Chamel Abdulkarim, an employee of NFI Industries, the logistics provider for the facility, was charged after investigators said he recorded himself setting the blaze inside the warehouse.
Federal prosecutors filed charges against Abdulkarim on April 9, according to the report. An affidavit filed with the federal complaint alleges Abdulkarim recorded video early Tuesday morning showing himself setting fire to multiple pallets of paper goods inside the warehouse.
Authorities said the fire destroyed the 1.2-million-square-foot facility, which stored household products including Kleenex and Cottonelle, and caused an estimated $500 million in damage. Officials said the building suffered a total roof collapse and is considered a complete loss.
According to the Justice Department, Abdulkarim also sent text messages and made phone calls boasting about the destruction. One message cited in the report said, “I just cost these [expletive] billions,” and another said, “All you had to do was pay us enough to live… Didn’t see the shareholders picking up a shift.”
Authorities arrested Abdulkarim about two miles from the scene shortly after the fire broke out and forced 175 firefighters into what the report described as a defensive battle. He remains in custody without bail at the West Valley Detention Center, according to the report.
The fire began at about 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday, April 7, according to the published timeline. Federal investigators with the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives later joined the case, and the U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal criminal complaint on Thursday, April 9, before announcing deliberate-arson charges on Friday, April 10.
Abdulkarim is scheduled to be arraigned Monday, April 13, on state criminal charges in San Bernardino County Superior Court. According to authorities, a motive remains under investigation as investigators continue reviewing his social media activity and digital footprint.
If convicted on the federal charges alone, Abdulkarim faces up to 20 years in prison, according to the report. Kimberly-Clark said it expects to provide more detailed information about the financial impact of the fire during its quarterly update on April 28.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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