Amazon Warehouse Fire In Redlands: $5,000 Reward Announced

REDLANDS, CA — A $5,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspects responsible for a massive warehouse fire in June that caused millions of dollars in damage to an Amazon partner, Redlands police announced Friday.

The three-alarm fire at the 600,000-square-foot Kuehne and Nagel distribution warehouse at 2255 W. Lugonia Ave. in Redlands broke out around 5:30 a.m. June 5, sending smoke across nearby mountain communities and shutting down busy westbound Interstate 10 lanes for several hours.

Kuehne and Nagel is a third-party operator that helps Amazon ship extra-large items to customers, according to the Redlands Police Department.

Redlands firefighters, Cal Fire and other agencies from across Southern California battled the blaze. About 100 employees of the distribution center were able to evacuate prior to the Fire Department’s arrival. No injuries were reported.

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, Redlands police said.

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, according to police.

In cooperation with ATF, the reward has been offered, police said.

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.