A reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects responsible for a massive warehouse fire that caused millions of dollars in damage last June.
Redlands Firefighters along with agencies from across Southern California battled the three-alarm fire at the 600,000-square-foot Kuehne and Nagel distribution warehouse in the 2200 block of West Lugonia Avenue early Friday morning, June 5. No injuries were reported.
Firefighters received the call of a commercial structure fire at the building at 2255 W. Lugonia Ave. at about 5:30 a.m. Friday, June 5.
Arriving crews found heavy flames and plumes of thick black smoke that, at one point, could be seen from nearby mountain communities rising above the cloud layer. The blaze shut down the busy westbound lanes of Interstate 10 for several hours.
About 100 employees of the distribution center were able to evacuate prior to the Fire Department’s arrival. No injuries were reported.
Fire agencies from throughout San Bernardino County and other surrounding communities responded to fight the fire. Ladder trucks surrounded the massive structure pouring water on the flames throughout the day and into the evening. Fire crews remained on scene for about a week putting out hot spots as rubble was overturned at the site. Investigators remained on scene long afterward.
The cause of the fire is considered suspicious. Redlands Fire Department and Police arson investigators are working on the investigation in cooperation with the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Damage is estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The building was home to Kuehne and Nagel, a third-party operator that helps Amazon ship extra-large items to customers.
In cooperation with ATF, a $5,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of the suspect or suspects.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Redlands Fire Department tip hotline at (909) 245-6587 or Redlands Fire Department Investigator Chris Randolph at crandolph@confire.org and/or Redlands Police Detective Matt Friesen at mfriesen@redlandspolice.org.
Redlands Fire Department press releases and other information are available on the Redlands Fire Department Facebook page at www.facebook.com/redlandsfiredepartment or on the City’s website at https://www.cityofredlands.org/fire-department.
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