2 Men Accidentally Set Themselves On Fire While Trying To Burn Down Immigration Center

Racism and xenophobia are horrific under any circumstances, but sometimes those who perpetrate this kind of hatred experience instant karma that’s rather rewarding to watch. Recently, two men tried to burn down an immigration center in Bakersfield, California. The New Year’s Day incident at the Servicio de Inmigracion could have ended very badly. Instead, the criminals ended up setting themselves on fire.

  1. The entire incident was caught on Ring video doorbell. The video, posted on the Servicio de Inmigracion’s Facebook page, starts with two men pouring flammable liquid all over the building in the dark. However, they didn’t quite know what they were doing because they were the ones going up in flames a few seconds later. It seems they underestimated the power of the accelerant they chose and got it all over themselves.
  2. The men can be seen desperately trying to put out the flames. However, as they ran away from the building, they still appeared to be on fire. It’s unclear how they managed to put the flames out and whether or not they sustained serious injuries. They could have been killed. Thankfully, they stayed alive long enough to be arrested.
  3. It didn’t take authorities long to find the criminals. They dropped their phones as they ran away screaming in pain, meaning police were able to trace them pretty easily. Hopefully, they’ll spend a very long time behind bars.
  4. The Servicio de Inmigracion will be closed as it undergoes repairs. While the blaze was mostly confined to the garage, there was smoke damage elsewhere in the building. A GoFundMe was set up to cover the cost of the damages, with organizers hoping to raise $5,000. At the time of writing, it had exceeded that goal and raised more than $7,500. The center will be closed until further notice, per its Facebook post.
Jennifer has been the managing editor of Bolde since its launch in 2014. Before that, she was the founding editor of HelloGiggles and also worked as an entertainment writer for Bustle and Digital Spy. Her work has been published in Bon Appetit, Decider, Vanity Fair, The New York TImes, and many more.