Chamel Abdulkarim, accused of burning Kimberly-Clark warehouse in Ontario, sued his previous employer

The disgruntled employee who allegedly filmed himself setting ablaze his employer’s large Ontario warehouse whereas complaining about wages beforehand filed a lawsuit in opposition to his former firm over break instances and misplaced pay.

Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, of Highland might face life in jail over costs he deliberately lit the hearth that engulfed the almost 1.2-million-square foot Kimberly-Clark warehouse round 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.

A clip posted by an Instagram account bearing Abdulkarim’s title reveals him lighting paper items on hearth within the warehouse whereas taking photographs at his firm.

“All you needed to do was pay us sufficient to stay,” he repeats within the video.

Earlier than Abdulkarim allegedly torched the warehouse, he had complained about not being paid for misplaced break time whereas working as an hourly worker for an aviation providers firm, court docket paperwork present.

In 2024, he filed a class-action lawsuit in opposition to PrimeFlight, which supplies “air carriers and airports with a variety of plane, passenger and safety providers,” in accordance with the corporate’s web page.

The swimsuit filed in San Bernadino County alleged that PrimeFlight failed to offer necessary lunch and relaxation breaks owed to its hourly staff beneath California labor legal guidelines.

Abdulkarim sought cost for the breaks he claimed he and different staff missed that have been mandated by state regulation.

The case was dismissed in January of 2025, indicating that Abdulkarim gained a settlement of some form.

The quantity Abdulkarim sought and the quantity he settled for weren’t specified within the court docket paperwork. The kind of work he did for PrimeFlight is unclear.

Abdulkarim’s lawyer within the case, David Myers, declined to remark.

PrimeFlight didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.

Within the Instagram video Abdulkarim allegedly posted of himself lighting the Ontario warehouse hearth, he makes a number of references to wages whereas the individual units paper items on hearth.

“All you needed to do is pay us sufficient to stay. All you needed to do was pay us sufficient to f—ng stay,” he says.

As pallets catch hearth within the distance, the narrator says: “Chances are you’ll not pay us sufficient to f—ing stay, however these bit—es grime low cost,” as he holds up a lighter.

“There goes your stock.”

Cops stated they have been conscious of the video and investigating it.

Sources described Abdulkarim as an indignant worker who vented about his job in posts he shared on-line.

He faces one rely of aggravated arson and 6 counts of arson involving the willful and malicious burning of buildings or land, in accordance with court docket information.

Abdulkarim was being held with out bail at West Valley Detention Heart and was scheduled to be arraigned at a Rancho Cucamonga courthouse.

Police captured him close to the warehouse whereas the massive hearth was nonetheless burning.

About 20 staff, together with Abdulkarim, have been contained in the constructing when the hearth broke out, in accordance with sources who’re engaged on the case.

He was initially lacking however was rapidly picked up by police, the sources stated.

The warehouse caught hearth with breathtaking ferocity due to the paper merchandise inside that helped gasoline the flames, firefighters stated.

Kimberly-Clark is a hygiene firm that owns manufacturers together with Huggies and Kleenex.

Greater than 140 firefighters battled the hearth, which raged via the day on Tuesday.

The Ontario Hearth Division led the combat in opposition to the six-alarm blaze, however the hearth was so intense that neighboring companies together with the San Bernardino County Hearth Division needed to take part.

No accidents have been reported within the incident.

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