Ontario toilet paper warehouse fire: Video emerges allegedly showing disgruntled employee starting blaze
Shocking video has emerged of the alleged moment a disgruntled employee lit a stockpile of toilet paper in a warehouse, burning the entire place down.
Shocking video has emerged of the alleged moment a disgruntled employee set a stockpile of toilet paper alight in a warehouse, burning the entire place down.
The Kimberly-Clark warehouse in San Bernardino County, California, erupted in flames on Tuesday, sparking a major emergency response at the 1.2-million-square-foot facility.
The facility, filled with highly flammable dry paper products, primarily toilet paper, was burnt down, with flames completely gutting the building and destroying all stock.
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“Yesterday, a fire occurred at a distribution centre in Ontario, California, operated by a third-party logistics partner, NFI Industries. Kimberly-Clark (NASDAQ: KMB) can confirm there were no reported injuries, and that all employees of the facility operator were safely evacuated,” the toilet paper maker said in a statement.
175 firefighters and 20 fire trucks were brought in to control the massive blaze, which destroyed the 11 city block-sized warehouse.
The fire is estimated to have caused $213 million in damage.
Now, in a shocking twist, just hours into the investigations, a video has emerged online showing someone who was reportedly a disgruntled employee walking away from a stack of toilet paper that had allegedly been intentionally set on fire.
In the video, a man can be heard saying: “All you had to do was pay us enough to live.”
The footage was posted on social media by a person.
“We’ve got to evacuate. We’ve got a fire in the building,” a voice can be heard saying in the video over a radio.
The video was screen-recorded by other users online, some reposting it with the caption “he did it” over the footage.
Chamel Abdulkarim, a 29-year-old employee at the facility, has now been arrested by the police.
“We have had reports that he did give some information on social media,” said the Ontario Police Dept. Cpl. Emily Williams.
“We can’t go into specifics as to what that information is.”
He will front court on Thursday local time.
The massive blaze caused a drop in Kimberly-Clark share prices, with the top toilet paper maker releasing a statement confirming its supply chain would be able to manage despite the massive loss.
“Kimberly-Clark’s supply chain network is designed for continuity during disruptions, and mitigating actions are already in motion,” a company spokesperson said.
“The company has activated its coordinated response plans and is working closely with local logistics providers to maintain continuity for customers.
“Teams have identified alternative locations for inbound shipments and are securing additional warehousing capacity through local partners. The company is working through mitigating any short-term disruptions as these plans are executed.
