Featured Image Credit: Servicio de Inmigracion 2500 Niles St / Facebook
Topics: US News
Emma Guinness
Two men have proven that instant karma is real after they accidentally set themselves on fire while trying to burn down an immigration center.
The unbelievable fail was captured on a Ring surveillance camera and shows the two masked men attempting to raise the Servicio de Inmigracion in Bakersfield, California, to the ground on 1 January.
The video begins with the two men pouring flammable liquid over the center under the cover of darkness, but it's not long - seconds, in fact - until they get their instant karma.
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Having massively underestimated the amount of accelerant they'd poured haphazardly in the area, the moment it is lit, the pair go up in flames themselves.
They can then be seen writhing in pain before fleeing the scene with flames still visible because the incident took place at night.
While the suspects escaped the scene, they were not able to evade authorities for long, as they dropped their phones as they fled, making it very easy for law enforcement to identify them.
As reported by Vice, one of the owners of the center said that it exists to help people with the immigration process and provide assistance in paying income taxes.
The center later posted a video of the failed arson attack to Facebook, writing in Spanish: "Dear customers, we started the year a little bad but with the grace of God we will get ahead."
Thankfully, authorities were able to reach the scene of the blaze shortly after it began and the fire was extinguished in around ten minutes by Kern County Fire Department (KCFD).
KCFD Captain Andrew Freeman told KBAK: "The footage is quite dramatic, and we hope that these individuals are identified quickly."
Needless to say, the fire captain more than got his wish on the discovery of the mobile phones.
The fire was largely contained to the garage of the center, however, the smoke from the flames did spread and there was some damage inside - including the destruction of a large industrial fan.
Car was equipment was also being stored at the center for a friend and it was also destroyed in the blaze.
A GoFundMe has now been set up in a bid to cover the cost of the damages, which were not insured, and at the time of writing, it has raised almost $3,000 of its $5,000 goal.
Following the incident, the Servicio de Inmigracion was closed until further notice.