Massive California Warehouse Destroyed In Suspected Arson Attack

A one-million-square-foot warehouse in Southern California went up in flames early Tuesday morning in what authorities believe was an arson attack.

The warehouse in Ontario, California, about 40 miles east of Los Angeles, belonged to personal care company Kimberly-Clark and was completely destroyed in the blaze. Around 20 people were inside when the fire first began around 12:30 a.m., but there have been no reported injuries.

One person has been arrested on suspicion of arson, according to officials.

Authorities released drone footage showing the scale of the fire.

UPDATE: Ontario Police Department drone footage pic.twitter.com/lwVSYDjrN5

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The first fire crew responded within eight minutes of the initial call and found “light smoke throughout the structure and what they believed was a small fire being contained by the operating fire protection system or sprinkler system,” according to Ontario Deputy Fire Chief Mike Wedell. As firefighters worked to douse the flames inside the warehouse, they were “quickly overrun by fire that rapidly spread throughout this enormous warehouse,” Wedell said.

Fire crews entered the building after a warehouse worker was initially reported missing during the evacuation. The missing employee was eventually located, officials said. Ontario police identified the suspected arsonist as a male Kimberly-Clark employee, though it remains unclear whether he was the individual initially reported missing.

Some people near the warehouse said they heard a loud boom shortly before the fire broke out, ABC 7 Los Angeles reported.

“Very early on, we identified this fire as suspicious in nature,” Wedell told reporters, adding, “There was a person of interest identified from the very initial response of this incident.”

Kimberly-Clark specializes in producing hygiene paper products, including toilet paper, facial tissues, baby wipes, and feminine hygiene products.

“There’s a large fire load of paper products inside of this building,” the deputy fire chief added. Fire crews will remain on the scene throughout Tuesday as they continue to extinguish the blaze.