Kansas City police are searching for a woman accused of attempting to set fire to a warehouse just hours after a proposed sale of the property for use as an ICE detention facility fell apart.
Officers were dispatched around 5:50 p.m. Thursday to the 14900 block of Botts Road, according to the Kansas City Police Department. The building is the same warehouse Platform Ventures had been negotiating to sell to the federal government for potential use by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Earlier that day, Platform Ventures announced it would not move forward with the sale after weeks of public scrutiny and mounting controversy surrounding the proposal.
When officers arrived at the scene, the Kansas City Fire Department was already working to contain the blaze. Fire officials quickly determined the fire appeared to have been intentionally set.
Witnesses told police an unidentified woman approached the structure, appeared to spray an unknown substance along part of the building’s exterior, and then ignited it before fleeing the area. Authorities have not released a description of the suspect.
Fire crews were able to extinguish the flames before they spread beyond a limited portion of the warehouse. No injuries were reported, and officials said the structural damage appeared to be contained.
🚨 HOLY CRAP! A woman was caught on tape attempting to BURN DOWN a Kansas City warehouse that was planned to be used by ICE
As of now, this woman is still at large.
She belongs in prison for 20+ YEARS for arson.
FIND HER AND LOCK HER UP! pic.twitter.com/ZErgHNR0OD
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 13, 2026
The suspect had left the scene before investigators arrived.
Kansas City police confirmed that Bomb and Arson detectives have launched a formal investigation. As of late Thursday night, the woman had not been identified and remained at large.
The attempted arson comes amid heightened tensions over federal immigration enforcement efforts nationwide. The proposed ICE facility had drawn criticism from activist groups and some local officials who opposed the idea of expanding detention operations in the region.
RELATED: NEW: Red State ‘First Responder’ Caught Sharing ICE Agents’ Locations
Platform Ventures had initially defended the potential sale as a lawful real estate transaction but reversed course Thursday, saying it would not proceed with the agreement.
Law enforcement officials have not confirmed whether the suspected arson was politically motivated, but the timing, occurring just hours after the sale was scrapped, is expected to be a key focus of investigators.
Authorities are reviewing nearby surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses in an effort to identify the suspect. Detectives are also working to determine what accelerant may have been used in the fire.
Police have urged anyone with information to come forward as the investigation continues.
The incident marks the latest flashpoint in the broader debate over immigration enforcement and federal detention facilities, as officials now work to ensure the situation does not escalate further.
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