Some Ontario residents unable to return home with Kimberly-Clark paper warehouse fire still smoldering
It's been a month since the 1.2 million square-foot Kimberly-Clark paper goods warehouse in Ontario was engulfed in flames after it was allegedly set on fire by an arson suspect. Even now, some residents say they're afraid to return home due to the still-smoldering remains of the paper goods once stored in the building.
The blaze erupted on April 7 at around 12:30 a.m., quickly burning through the paper-based products manufactured by Kimberly-Clark, with household names like Kleenex, Kotex, Cottonelle, Scott and Huggies. Despite a quick response from the Ontario Fire Department, crews were unable to gain the upper hand on the flames until hours later.
On Wednesday, May 6, fire officials told CBS LA that they have continued receiving calls about smoldering and potential fire activity at the warehouse in the weeks since.
"Demolition will begin on Monday, May 11, 2026, where the process will allow for extinguishment of remaining smoldering material," Ontario FD officials said. "Individuals with respiratory conditions or other underlying health concerns should avoid the immediate area, if possible."
Residents like Sameena Perveen say that they've expressed their concerns over the potential health hazards being posed to people living in the immediate area.
"I've called many times, 911 sometimes," Perveen said. "Smoke is all over the place. ... It's bad. Everybody's got air purifiers at home."
She says that every time the charred remnants of the building smolder, it sends ash and smoke fluttering into her backyard. At this point, Perveen says it's a daily occurrence.
The alleged arsonist, Chamel Abdulrakim, an employee of a third-party distributor working at the warehouse, was arrested as the firefight was ongoing. In a social media video that appeared to show the 29-year-old Highland man setting fire to the pallets of paper products, he can be heard stating, "All you had to do was pay us to live. ... There goes your inventory."
He was charged later that week with seven felonies, one count of aggravated arson and six counts of arson of a structure or forest land. Prosecutors later alleged that Abdulrakim bragged about the fire in the immediate aftermath, going so far as to compare himself to Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024.
In all, San Bernardino County officials estimated that the fire cost $600 million in damages, $500 million of which were paper products.
