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ONTARIO, Calif. () — Demolition work is set to begin Monday on a warehouse destroyed in a massive fire more than a month ago in Ontario, the city said Sunday.
The video featured in the media player above is from a previous report and will be updated.
The blaze erupted shortly after 12:30 a.m. April 7 near Hellman and Merrill avenues, destroying the more than 1 million-square-foot Kimberly-Clark facility.
Crews will begin tearing down the building’s exterior concrete walls Monday, a process expected to generate elevated noise levels for nearby residents and businesses, according to a statement posted on the city’s website.
Demolition is scheduled to continue for up to 12 hours a day over the next two weeks, though officials said the timeline could shift as work progresses.
Authorities are investigating the fire as arson. Chamel Abdulkarim, a 29-year-old Highland resident, has pleaded not guilty to aggravated arson charges in connection to the incident.
If convicted, he faces 10 years to life in prison. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 10.
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 said paper products valued at about $500 million were destroyed. No injuries were reported.
Investigators said they are reviewing video posted on social media that 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.
Residents in neighborhoods east of the site told Eyewitness News earlier this month they were still dealing with the fire’s aftermath. They said the debris continued to smolder and smoke frequently drifted toward their homes, particularly during afternoon winds, making them sick.
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.
“The air quality is just horrible. My daughter has asthma, and the kids can barely play outside,” said resident Ligia Luken. “I also had pneumonia last week, which I’m sure is in correlation with this.”
Luken said some neighbors temporarily relocated out of their homes, staying in hotels or short-term rentals due to concerns about what they were breathing in.
City officials said the property owner is working with the city to ensure the site is cleared safely as demolition is set to begin.
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