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    Ontario warehouse fire did $500 million in damage, federal officials say
    • April 10, 2026

    Federal and state prosecutors are pursuing separate cases again the 29-year-old Highland resident accused of setting fire to the large warehouse in Ontario this week — causing, the federal Department of Justice says, $500 million in damage.

    In the federal case, Chamel Abdulkarim was charged late Thursday, April 9, with arson of a building used in interstate and foreign commerce.

    Abdulkarim filmed himself on Tuesday, April 7, igniting pallets of paper goods inside the distribution center in Ontario and, federal officials said, saying, “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].”

    He posted those videos to social media, federal officials said.

    “He further made statements to others on the telephone and via text messages related to his motive for setting the building on fire,” the federal officials said, “including the following: ‘I just cost these [expletive] billions. … All you had to do was pay us enough to live. Pay us more of the value WE bring. Not corporate. Didn’t see the shareholders picking up a shift.”

    Abdulkarim was anti-capitalism and anti-corporation, said not enough of the profits are being shared with workers and favorably compared himself to the man accused of murdering the UnitedHealthcare CEO in a New York City ambush, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli said.

    Abdulkarim was scheduled to be San Bernardino County Superior Court this morning to officially hear the state charges he faces: aggravated arson and six counts of arson.

    The aggravated arson charge carries a sentence of 10 years to life in state prison. The federal charge has a minimum sentence of five years.

    for the fire Tuesday that destroyed the Kimberly-Clar distribution center. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

     

     

    ​ Orange County Register 

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