California fire wipes out toilet paper warehouse that served 50M people

A raging fire believed to be arson wiped out a 1.2 million-square-foot tissue paper warehouse in California that serves the needs of roughly 50 million people, authorities said April 8.

The six-alarm blaze in Ontario, California, happened at a warehouse leased by personal care and hygiene giant Kimberly-Clark early in the morning. There were no injuries to the roughly 20 employees who were in the building at the time of the fire, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles.

But the blaze “risks West Coast supply shortages for more than 3% of sales” at Kimberly-Clark’s US business and could raise transportation costs, according to a note from Diana Gomes, a Bloomberg Intelligence senior industry analyst, according to the trade publication Insurance Journal.

Paper products were stored at the facility, said Deputy Fire Chief Mike Wedell of the Ontario Fire Department, though he did not have specifics. Kimberly-Clark, based in Irving, Texas, includes such brands as Cottonelle toilet paper, Kleenex tissues, Viva paper towels and Huggies diapers.

Chamel Abdulkarim, a 29-year-old resident of Highland, California, was charged with multiple arson-related charges and is being held without bail in a San Bernardino County sheriff’s department jail facility.

In a news release posted on X, the department identified Abdulkarim as an employee of NFI Industries, a third-party logistics provider for Kimberly-Clark.

A statement issued by Kimberly-Clark said the facility was operated by NFI Industries. The fire did not affect any of its manufacturing equipment, it said.

The company said it had activated a response team to minimize consumer impact.

“Kimberly-Clark’s supply chain network is designed for continuity during disruptions and mitigating actions are already in motion,” it said. “The company has activated its coordinated response plans and is working closely with local logistics providers to maintain continuity for customers.”

According to the department, initial units arriving at 12:36 a.m. on April 7 “encountered a well-established fire” at Kimberly-Clark’s 1.2-million-square-foot concrete tilt-up warehouse.

Firefighters first tried to fight the rapidly growing blaze from within the bowels of the structure, but were ultimately pushed out by the extreme heat. They then transitioned to an external attack, attempting to douse the fire with “high-volume master streams,” the department said.

In all, 175 firefighters, 20 engine companies, 15 truck companies, 17 chief officers and several investigators responded to the blaze. The fire was contained by 7:46 a.m., the department said, though children and seniors were advised to stay indoors because of significant ash in the air.

Reporter Paris Barraza contributed to this story.