The Latino community is jumping into action to help victims deadly fires in the year Los Angeles County
Numerous Latino-owned businesses, organizations and community leaders across LA are providing resources, collecting donations to distribute and raising funds to provide relief to victims of the various wildfires.
As of Sunday, four fires were burning in the Los Angeles area: the Palisades Fire in the Pacific Palisades area, the Eaton Fire in northern Pasadena, the Kenneth Fire in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and the Hurst Fire in northwest Sylmar. San Fernando
A woman walks past the rubble of homes destroyed by the Palisades fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 11, 2025.
Carlos Barria/Reuters
According to county officials, the Palisades Fire has destroyed more than 5,000 structures, while the Eaton Fire has damaged or destroyed about 7,000 structures. More than 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes as the Santa Ana wind exacerbates the situation even more. At least 16 killed in fires The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner is investigating, and many people are injured.
In Los Angeles County, more than 4.8 million people are Hispanic or Latino, the latter US Census data the shows With deep roots in the region, many Latinos have taken initiatives to mobilize and support the community.
“A friend of mine texted me saying her house burned down,” Corissa Hernandez, a small business owner, told ABC News. “I can’t even imagine losing everything I’ve worked for in my personal space, so I immediately took to social media and issued a call to action.”
Volunteers work to help victims of wildfires in Los Angeles on January 11, 2025.
Corissa Hernandez
After learning from local city leaders that food, water and masks are needed, Hernandez announced on social media that he was helping collect these items at Nativo HLP, his Mexican food restaurant in Highland Park.
That initial effort expanded dramatically because of the Latino community, according to Hernandez.
“It’s such an honor and a humbling experience to see us all come together for the most vulnerable among us, and it’s just one of those moments where you feel so proud to be a part of LA and this community,” she said.
Hernandez is a board member of the Independent Hospitality Coalition, an advocacy group for bars and restaurants in Los Angeles. He said that several restaurants and chefs who are part of that network responded to his call and started connecting to shelters and evacuation centers that needed resources.
Volunteers work to help victims of wildfires in Los Angeles on January 11, 2025.
Corissa Hernandez
Hernandez eventually teamed up with two other Mexican restaurants, Guerilla Tacos DTLA and Guelaguetza, to collect donations and provide meals to people in need, he said. Together, they have created a central hub for all their operations and donations.
“I can’t take credit for the evolved,” Hernandez said. “Since then, we’ve collectively distributed over 1,500 hot meals to evacuation centers and fire departments, with hundreds of donations coming in, and this has been in collaboration with my network.”
Members of LA’s Latino community have gotten creative to help support each other. Several taquerias are offering free tacos First responders, LA Taco reported first and Latinx Therapy, a mental health resource center for Latinos, is organizing pro-bono providers to provide free therapy to Latino families affected by the fires.
Volunteers work to help victims of wildfires in Los Angeles on January 11, 2025.
Corissa Hernandez
Support for the Latino community is also pouring in from around the world. California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that firefighters were arriving from Mexico with “more than 10,000 personnel on the ground.”
“California is very grateful for President @ClaudiaShein’s support as we work to put out the wildfires in Los Angeles,” Newsom posted on X.
A spokesperson for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, told ABC News that 70 firefighters from Mexico arrived Saturday afternoon, including three information officers.
Meanwhile, in the Boyle Heights neighborhood, Las Fotos Project, a non-profit organization that mentors teenage girls and gender-broad youth through photography, has created one. newsletter-style database on its website where fire victims can describe their current needs and connect directly with people who can help.
“We always say we find power in our stories and we find power in our communities. I really hope this database sustains people (and) support in the long run,” said Helen Alonzo Hurtado, director of social enterprise at the Las Fotos Project. ABC News “Two or three weeks from now, as people are settling into temporary housing and realizing what they need, they can put that in place and then community members can respond.”
Alonzo Hurtado said that despite organizing community wellness days, the Las Fotos Project is not an emergency response nonprofit and is not prepared to mobilize in that capacity. Still, he said the group was motivated to help victims, including some of their members who lost their homes and were displaced in the Eaton fire.
“We are starting to see how many Latino and black families were affected in Altadena,” he said. “When you think about that community, it’s home to a lot of working class people who have been able to build generational wealth, and that was lost overnight.”
The Latino-led group hopes to make an impact with its database and bring more of the community together to help those in need.
“In our culture, we have kermes (fundraising parties for low-income community members, usually for funerals), and we put these initiatives together to help each other.” said Alonso Hurtado. “We’re seeing so many people being impacted and we’re not just mobilizing for the Latino community, but for all the people affected.”
