More than a month after a massive warehouse fire in Ontario, an approximately 1.2 million-square-foot facility continues to smolder, raising health concerns for neighbors.
By, an approximately 1.2 million-square-foot facility continues to smolder, raising health concerns for neighbors. Nearby residents are growing frustrated, saying they are still dealing with poor air quality and uncertainty about when demolition will begin.
AIR7 video showed crews in the area on Monday, appearing to prepare for the upcoming demolition. Still, officials have not provided a timeline for tearing down the burned-out Kimberly-Clark warehouse. Prosecutors revealed new details about an arson suspect and the massive fire he is accused of starting at a sprawling warehouse in Ontario.
The fire's aftermath continues to affect neighborhoods just east of the site, where residents say smoke frequently drifts toward their homes, particularly during afternoon winds, making them sick.
"The past month has just been smoldering non-stop, smoke blowing towards us," said resident Ligia Luken. "The air quality is just horrible. My daughter has asthma, and the kids can barely play outside. I also had pneumonia last week, which I'm sure is in correlation with this.
" Luken said some neighbors have temporarily relocated out of their homes, staying in hotels or short-term rentals due to concerns about what they are breathing in. "We did speak to a fire chief, who said that it's a lot of back and forth, pointing fingers. They don't know who is going to do the cleanup, so we're just, here we are, stuck with this air," she said. Authorities are investigating the fire as arson.
Chamel Abdulkarim, a 29-year-old resident of Highland, hasHe faces 10 years to life in prison if convicted as charged. The man accused of starting the massive fire that destroyed a sprawling warehouse in Ontario pleaded not guilty to charges in court. Abdulkarim was reportedly working at the Kimberly-Clark Distribution Center through a third-party company at the time of the fire. Officials say paper products worth $500 million were destroyed in the fire.
No one was injured in the blaze. Investigators say they are reviewing the video posted to social media, which appears to show cases of toilet paper being set on fire inside a warehouse. In the video, a person repeatedly says he is not paid enough to live on. New video may offer insight into a motive behind the alleged arson fire that destroyed a massive warehouse in Ontario.
Meanwhile, residents have launched a petition urging city leaders not to rebuild the warehouse in the same location, citing safety concerns and the ongoing impact of the fire.
"As residents, we definitely want it cleaned up," said Luken. "We wanted it cleaned up a while ago, and we want more safety put in place for this to not happen again. " With demolition still pending, nearby communities say they are left waiting for relief as smoke continues to linger. Eyewitness News reached out to the operator of the building to try to get an update on when demolition might begin, but we are still waiting to hear back. The city has said only that demolition is pending.
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