Authorities in Ontario, California, have arrested 29-year-old Chamel Abdulkarim following a massive six-alarm fire that destroyed a 1.2 million-square-foot warehouse early Tuesday morning.
The fire, which broke out at approximately 12:30 a.m. on April 7 at the NFI Industries facility, required over 100 firefighters to contain the blaze.
Abdulkarim was apprehended shortly after the incident in the nearby community of Eastvale and is currently facing two felony arson charges while being held without bail.
The facility served as a distribution center for Kimberly-Clark paper products, and officials estimate the financial damage to be in the millions.
While no injuries were reported, the case has gained international attention due to a self-recorded video allegedly filmed by Abdulkarim during the commission of the crime.
The footage, which began circulating widely on the viral news account @pubity, appears to show a man pouring an accelerant across the warehouse floor.
In the recording, the suspect looks directly at the camera and delivers a brief statement regarding his motivation for the act.
"All you had to do was pay us enough to live," the man says in the video before walking away as the flames begin to consume the structure.
This specific quote has triggered a polarized debate across social media platforms, highlighting deep-seated tensions regarding the current cost of living.
Some observers have characterized the incident as an act of domestic terrorism or extreme revenge, while others expressed a darker sympathy for the underlying economic frustrations mentioned.
Law enforcement officials have not commented on the specific wage claims but emphasized the severity of the property destruction and the risk to public safety.
The NFI Industries site remains a total loss as investigators continue to comb through the wreckage for additional evidence.
Under the administration of President Donald Trump, federal and state agencies have remained focused on infrastructure security and workplace safety standards.
Court proceedings for Abdulkarim are expected to begin this week as the community grapples with the aftermath of the region's most destructive fire in years.