Heroic Filipino domestic helper praised after saving baby and elderly employer in deadly Hong Kong fire
A Filipino domestic worker is being praised after surviving the Wang Fuk Court fire in Hong Kong while safeguarding her employer’s baby and elderly mother. Just a day into her job, Ms Rhodora Alcaraz was trapped with them until firefighters pulled the trio to safety. Her distress messages later went viral.
- A Filipino domestic worker survived the Wang Fuk Court fire while trapped with her employer’s baby and elderly mother until firefighters rescued them.
- Her voice messages during the blaze spread widely online as relatives searched for her.
- Philippine officials and the public praised her bravery and the sacrifices of overseas workers.
HONG KONG: A Filipino domestic helper, Ms Rhodora Alcaraz, 28, is being praised for her actions during the deadly fire at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court, where she managed to escape with her employer’s three-month-old baby and elderly mother.
She had only arrived in the city the previous day before becoming trapped in the family’s apartment as thick smoke engulfed the unit.
Firefighters eventually located and pulled the trio to safety.
Spotlight on Foreign Domestic Workers’ Realities
Her experience has drawn attention to Hong Kong’s large community of migrant domestic workers, who form nearly 10 per cent of the city’s labour force.
Many handle childcare and eldercare responsibilities while living in tight quarters and earning comparatively low wages in an otherwise high-cost metropolis.
Philippine Senator Imee Marcos visited Ms Alcaraz in hospital on 30 November, later posting a photo of her recovering in bed and describing her as a symbol of the sacrifices made by overseas Filipino workers.
Support From Philippine Authorities and Public
The Philippines’ Overseas Workers Welfare Administration also commended Ms Alcaraz in an online statement the same day, highlighting her courage and compassion.
Messages of support poured in from Filipinos at home and abroad.
Her employer, Kanon Chung, wrote on Facebook that both the baby and his elderly mother had been admitted to intensive care but were in stable condition.
Distress Calls That Went Viral
Family and friends searching for Ms Alcaraz posted the voice messages she had sent during the fire on 26 November — a blaze that has now claimed at least 151 lives.
In the recordings, she struggled to breathe and sounded increasingly weak as she pleaded for help.
The clips circulated widely as people attempted to trace her whereabouts amid the confusion.
Former Employer Describes Her Devotion
One of those trying to reach contacts in Hong Kong was her former employer in the Philippines, Ms Rhoda Lynn Dayo.
She said she had feared the worst when she learned Ms Alcaraz was missing.
Ms Dayo, who employed Ms Alcaraz from the age of 17 for more than four years, recalled her deep commitment to the children she cared for.
She said she trusted Ms Alcaraz enough to leave her in charge while she travelled overseas and believed she would risk her life for any child under her care.
Fatalities Among Migrant Workers
Authorities have confirmed that nine Indonesian domestic workers and one Filipino were among those killed in the fire — the deadliest in Hong Kong in more than 75 years.
Over 40 people remain unaccounted for.
Hong Kong currently employs about 368,000 foreign domestic helpers, most from the Philippines and Indonesia, with rising numbers from Bangladesh, Myanmar and Thailand.
Driven by Responsibility to Family
Ms Alcaraz, the eldest of nine siblings, chose overseas work in hopes of supporting her family.
She previously spent two years employed in Qatar before accepting the position in Hong Kong.
Her younger sister, Ms Raychell Loreto, said their father works as a fisherman and that the family relies on income sent from abroad.
“We’re proud of her,” she said.
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