A woman in Kansas City, Missouri, is accused of trying to set a warehouse ablaze. Reportedly, the site had been previously considered to become an ICE detention facility, although the planned sale had been canceled before the incident occurred.
A short clip of the incident was shared online by Rapid Report. It shows the unknown woman spraying some sort of flammable liquid on the warehouse walls. The liquid ignites as it touches the flames, burning the windows.
As reported by KSHN, the incident occurred on Thursday, February 12, at around 5:50 p.m. Firefighters were able to respond to the Botts Road warehouse and managed to put out a fire before it spread.
According to the Kansas City Police Department, the suspect, the Missouri woman shown in the clip, has yet to be arrested and identified. As per KCTV, Bomb and Arson detectives are conducting an arson investigation.
While a motive for the alleged arson attempt is still unclear, the warehouse at Botts Road is no stranger to controversy.
Planned Sale, Canceled
Apparently, Platform Ventures, which owns the warehouse, were appraoched by a “third-party private enterprise” with an offer to purchase the site. Fox 4 reported that negotiations were complete in January 2025.
This sale, however, was heavily criticized by many, including the Port Authority of Kansas City. Citing community concerns, Port KC decided to cut ties with Platform Ventures, as rumors began spreading that the warehouse was being bought to transform it into an ICE detention facility.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas even released a statement on February 12, saying that he will ensure that no site “is converted to a mass encampment warehouse of persons that is offensive to the dignity and human rights of those who would be detained within it.”
Hours before the woman allegedly attempted to set the warehouse ablaze, Platform Ventures issued a statement. They detailed that they found out that the mysterious buyer was the U.S. government after negotiations concluded. Therefore, they decided to cancel the sale altogether.
Many users reacted to the news, and some of them were confused about the details. Many believed that the Missouri warehouse had already been converted to an ICE detention facility. Therefore, they feared that the woman was allegedly setting the site on fire while detainees were inside.
“So, arson is just okay now?” one user asked. Another commenter wrote, “That’s a crazy way to virtue signal that you disagree with immigration laws.” A third netizen added, “You can’t fix this level of stupidity.”
