Domestic workers in Los Angeles say they are struggling to make ends meet after the homes they worked in burned down in deadly fires.
The Pacific Palisades fire and the Eaton fire in Altadena forced to evacuate thousands of people. The fires destroyed more than 12,000 structures and authorities have confirmed 27 deaths.
Patricia, a housekeeper who works in two of the houses Pacific Palisadeshe said that he was cleaning one of the houses on January 7, when everyone started to panic because of the proximity of the fire. As the family began packing to evacuate, Patricia said she continued to clean.
“Good Morning America” kicked off its “SoCal Strong” (#SoCalStrong) coverage Friday, highlighting affected communities and offering fundraising opportunities for wildfire victims. Coverage will continue across multiple ABC News programs and platforms.
For privacy reasons, Patricia asked ABC News to refer to her only by her first name.
SoCalGas workers dig a trench in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Jan. 16, 2025, to secure natural gas infrastructure for homes destroyed by the Palisades fire.
Damian Dovarganes/AP
“I texted my daughter about what was going on at the time and she said ‘get out of here now’ but I didn’t finish the job and I kept cleaning up while they were getting ready to leave and I went downstairs and started vacuuming their bags while they were doing it, and I thought, ‘I should leave too,'” Patricia told ABC News in Spanish. “I went upstairs and said to the owner, ‘I have to leave, I haven’t finished cleaning, I’m sorry, but I feel like I have to leave,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, you can’t leave any problems’.”
Patricia said that as she started to run away, she saw construction workers and gardeners still working outside and told them to run and get to safety, but they didn’t know what to do as they were on the clock. Patricia said she doesn’t know if those workers got out.
“The next day, I found out that the house I was in was completely burnt down, not just the house, but all the streets and the whole block,” he said.
Patricia said the two houses where she worked burned down, and she lost her two main sources of income. The predicament Patricia now faces is an unfortunate reality for many domestic workers in Los Angeles.
According to Flor Martinez Zaragoza’s founder and CEO Celebration Nationa non-profit organization that provides support and resources for the indigenous and Latino community, many domestic workers are currently facing serious financial difficulties because they work in areas where structures burned.
“They don’t have a lot of jobs available already, and unfortunately it’s not the best time for that because of the price of food and the way the economy is today,” Martinez Zaragoza told ABC News.
A home that appears untouched by the Palisades fire sits among the charred remains of other homes that were destroyed by fire in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California on January 15, 2025.
Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images
Celebration Nation has partnered with Immigo, a nonprofit immigration services provider that advocates for immigrant rights, by organizing donation and distribution campaigns for all fire victims, but much of their efforts have focused on domestic workers. fires, especially those of immigrants.
“A lot of domestic workers, believe it or not, a lot of them are undocumented, so they take some jobs that other people don’t want to do… a lot of times they’re jobs that a lot of undocumented people get. They’re going to feed their families and because they’re undocumented, the wages are different. they are lower than some”, said Martinez Zaragoza.
Due to their immigration status, Martinez Zaragoza also said that these workers often do not receive state or federal aid during disasters.
“Most undocumented families wouldn’t be able to get the 700 dollars that the government gives everyone else, unfortunately, it happens here, we go in there and we give food, but also other needs: diapers, deodorant, socks, the basics. don’t worry the essentials they have,” he said.
A Los Angeles County spokeswoman did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Martinez Zaragoza added: “We are helping everyone, but we also pay attention to those who tend to be afraid to ask for help or who do not know where to get these reliable resources, today we are working to give them heavy tasks. breathing masks and goggles picking up debris from fires to all domestic workers and volunteers involved, this specific risk protection effort is in partnership with This Is About Humanity.
Jenn Stowe, Executive Director National Alliance of Domestic Workerssaid ABC News that there are more than 65,000 domestic workers in LA. NDWA is a national organization serving and advocating for domestic workers, working with more than 70 local and state member organizations across the country.
According to data compiled by the NDWA, California has the largest population of domestic workers in the country with more than 350,000 workers in the state. Nationally, more than 9 in 10 domestic workers are women, and more than 56% are black, Hispanic, or AAPI. Domestic workers include roles such as housekeepers, nannies and carers.
Stowe said that in LA, NDWA is working with the Center for Pilipino Workers, the Coalition for Immigrant Rights and Human Rights (CHIRLA) and the California Institute for Popular Education (IDEPSCA) to provide support to affected workers. The executive director said that shortly after the fires broke out, they anticipated that this demographic would be immediately affected.
Firefighters dispose of debris from fire-ravaged homes destroyed by the Eaton Fire on January 15, 2025 in Altadena, California.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
“During times of crisis, domestic workers are often the first to lose income, some of the last to receive aid, and often work in unsafe working conditions and any disaster, crisis or event exacerbates this,” he said. Stowe said. “Our organizations were very concerned about the challenges they could face, such as getting relief, but also about the lack of immediate income, about the lack of PPE, about the lack of access to information in the language they prefer and need.”
As a result, NDWA has created the “We Care: Domestic Worker Relief Fund” to help affected domestic workers. The fund will provide basic supplies, PPE and long-term recovery support to domestic workers and their families.
“This is something that was muscle memory for us, we learned how unprotected the workforce was during the time of COVID,” Stowe said. “Over 90% of domestic workers didn’t have paid sick time during COVID, so we knew we wanted to create a fund to really help workers.”
Despite the support available, Patricia said she worries about her future and the future of other workers like her. She said it took years to build trust with the homeowners she worked with in Pacific Palisades — she worked with one homeowner for more than 30 years — and now that she’s 60, she’s worried about starting over, trying to get employment. and building trust with new employers.
“I’m worried about everyone, not just myself, what are we going to do? I’m worried about how we’re going to live,” Patricia said in Spanish. “All the areas that were lost were areas that employed many of us, almost entire cities were burned, now we have to find other jobs and limit expenses.”
