A mega warehouse was destroyed Tuesday in a possible arson fire on the south end of Ontario, where multiple Riverside County Fire Department engines were sent to assist the Ontario Fire Department in battling the blaze for almost seven hours.
The non-injury fire was reported shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday at the Kimberly Clark Warehouse in the 9500 block of Merrill Avenue, near South Hellman Avenue, just north of the boundary separating Ontario and Eastvale.
Dozens of engine crews and truck companies from the Ontario Fire Department and surrounding agencies that responded to a mutual aid call — including the Riverside County Fire Department — were sent to the location, encountering flames raging throughout the 1-million-square-foot warehouse, according to the OFD.
The agency’s deputy fire chief, Mike Widdell, told reporters that a man had been taken into custody on suspicion of igniting the inferno, but no other details were immediately available.
Images published via the fire department’s social media pages showed flames tearing through the warehouse, as well as spilling over into cargo bays, burning trailers unhitched from trucks.
Widdell said nearly 200 firefighters worked to contain the blaze at its peak.
No other properties surrounding the 22-acre site were damaged.
At 7:45 a.m., the fire was declared contained, and most Riverside County Fire Department personnel departed.
Some street closures remained in effect around the warehouse.
Officials advised area residents to remain indoors to avoid exposure to heavy drift smoke.
Crews were expected to continue mopping up well into the overnight hours Tuesday.