A large six-alarm blaze tore through a California warehouse early Tuesday, and authorities have taken an employee into custody, according to FOX 11.
Flames ripped through the roof of the Kimberly-Clark consumer goods complex in southern Ontario, California, as smoke billowed into the dark sky.
According to KTLA, crews arrived at the roughly 1.2 million-square-foot property about 12:30 a.m. to find flames shooting through the roof.
San Bernardino County Fire stated the Ontario Fire Department was combating a six-alarm warehouse fire involving paper products with help from several nearby departments. The police also used drone footage to aid operations.
The warehouse included paper products such as tissues and other consumer goods, which contributed to the fire’s quick spread, according to FOX 11.
By 5 a.m., firefighters had switched to a defensive approach, putting ladder trucks around the building and dousing it from above as the hours-long fire raged on, according to KTLA.
According to FOX 11, approximately 20 employees were inside the warehouse when the fire started, but all escaped unharmed.
According to Ontario Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Wedell, despite the building’s internal sprinkler system being active, the fire spread “exponentially very quickly,” prompting initial inside teams to retreat and adopt a defensive approach, as reported by FOX 11.
The Ontario Fire Department reported Tuesday morning that more than 140 firefighters responded to the flames, which have been restricted inside the building while workers continue to combat them in a defensive manner.
Authorities also cautioned that smoke and ash could impair air quality in the region, asking residents, particularly children and the elderly, to stay home and avoid the area if possible.
According to the site, fire officials are investigating the event as arson and have arrested one person. At this point, we have a topic of interest,” Ontario Fire Department Deputy Chief Mike Woodell told KTLA. “That person has been taken into custody, arrested, and transported to the police station. Detectives from the Ontario Police Department are on their way to question the individual.