Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, of Highland, was taken into custody on Tuesday evening in connection with the blaze that broke out at approximately 12:30 AM at the Kimberly-Clark warehouse located at 4815 S. Hellman Avenue. Abdulkarim is employed by NFI Industries, a third-party distribution company that operates out of the facility on behalf of Kimberly-Clark. The warehouse spans one million square feet and was stocked with paper products, including Scott brand toilet paper, which rapidly fueled the flames and escalated the incident into a six-alarm emergency.
A video circulated by local journalist Alex Montero, reportedly screen-recorded from an Instagram account bearing Abdulkarim's name, appears to show a man using a lighter to ignite pallets of toilet paper inside the facility. The Instagram account has since been taken down.
Jail records confirm that Abdulkarim is currently being held without bail on two counts of arson, covering both inhabited dwelling and property charges. He is scheduled to appear in court at 8:00 AM on Thursday, April 9, at the Rancho Cucamonga courthouse.
According to Bloomberg, the scale of the destruction could potentially cause supply disruptions affecting a market that serves approximately 50 million consumers.
