Two men accidentally set themselves on fire while trying to light a California immigration services building ablaze, according to a Ring surveillance camera video of the incident.
The footage taken Monday, January 2, shows two men dressed in black with masks covering their faces and walking up to Servicio de Inmigracion in Bakersfield, California. The men poured accelerant on the side of the building and in the parking lot.
As one of the men continued to spread the fuel around the site, the second squatted over a puddle of accelerant and attempted to light it ablaze. The fire ignited quickly and one of the legs of the man's jeans caught fire.
He sprinted away, as did his partner in crime who was also set ablaze. One of the men can be heard screaming as they fled.
Firefighters doused the flames about 10 minutes later.
You can see what happened in the video below.
\u201cTwo suspects targeting an immigration services business in an arson attack ended up setting themselves on fire https://t.co/loJKVwo3CI\u201d— philip lewis (@philip lewis) 1673010123
Max Solorzano owns the private business he says helps customers through the immigration process and provides them assistance paying their income taxes.
The motive for the attack is unclear.
While the suspects are currently not in custody, a worker said they dropped their phones at the scene of the crime and they are in the hands of the local authorities.
Andrew Freeman—the captain of the Kern County Fire Department (KCFD)—said the footage "is quite dramatic, and we hope that these individuals are identified quickly."
While many condemned the attack, they also couldn't help but mock the men for the way they'd botched their own plan.
\u201cwhen you do clownery, the clown comes back to bite\u201d— nick cannon sterilizer (@nick cannon sterilizer) 1673083270
\u201cthis is more fun to watch than fireworks\u201d— kai\u2122\ufe0f (@kai\u2122\ufe0f) 1673057982
\u201cI love it when bad things happen to bad people.\u201d— Bug Catcher Ghostie (@Bug Catcher Ghostie) 1673039970
\u201cThat hate will burn you alive.\u201d— UntetheredAndAttacking (@UntetheredAndAttacking) 1673053092
\u201cDamn this is what they call instant karma \ud83d\ude29\u201d— Last Last Warrior (@Last Last Warrior) 1673054797
\u201cSometimes the trash takes itself out.\u201d— Candied Yams (@Candied Yams) 1673057564
\u201cYou love to see it.\u201d— anonymous noone (@anonymous noone) 1673035323
\u201cLadies and Gentlemen Karma has no time frame lol\u201d— THIQUE KEEKS (@THIQUE KEEKS) 1673026633
\u201cIdiots got what they deserved.\u201d— Debby Williams \u262e\ufe0f\u2650\ud83d\udc99 (@Debby Williams \u262e\ufe0f\u2650\ud83d\udc99) 1673023564
Smoke from the fire did get into the building and some of Servicio de Inmigracion’s property, including a large industrial fan, was destroyed.
The business has closed until further notice and started a GoFundMe campaign to cover the damages.
As of this writing, the campaign has exceeded its $15,000 goal.
