Suspect arrested for starting five hundred million dollar Kimberly-Clark warehouse fire

A 29-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with a catastrophic six-alarm fire that decimated a Kimberly-Clark toilet paper warehouse.

The Ontario Police Department confirmed that Chamel Abdulkarim was taken into custody on Tuesday and formally charged on Friday, with federal arson.

The blaze caused an estimated $500 million in damage to the two-million-square-foot facility. If convicted of arson affecting interstate commerce, Abdulkarim faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.

Authorities allege that Abdulkarim "filmed himself setting fire to multiple pallets of paper goods" inside the warehouse.

According to an affidavit filed with the federal complaint, the suspect made several statements regarding his motives, including: “If you're not going to pay us enough to [expletive] live or afford to live, at least pay us enough not to do this [expletive].”

Further evidence reportedly includes text messages where he allegedly wrote, “I just cost these motherf----ers billions,” and criticised corporate shareholders for failing to provide fair value to workers.

The fire broke out shortly after 12:30 a.m. on 7 April, requiring a massive response from 175 firefighters and 15 truck companies.

Although crews initially attempted to fight the flames from within, the intensity of the blaze forced a transition to defensive operations.

Abdulkarim was arraigned on state charges on Friday and is scheduled to appear in federal court on 13 April.

Kimberly-Clark, a major multinational personal care corporation, has operated the massive Ontario logistics hub as a primary distribution point for the Western United States.