Migrant caregivers who pulled children from Hong Kong fire are hailed as heroes

Last week's massive blaze at a Hong Kong housing estate killed at least 159 people, including 10 domestic helpers, highlighting the critical role they play in the Chinese territory.

HONG KONG — As smoke quickly filled the corridors of a 31-story tower in Hong Kong last week, Rhodora Alcaraz found herself trapped alone with a 3-month-old baby.

The 28-year-old migrant worker had arrived in the Chinese territory from the Philippines only a day earlier to work for a family living in a high-rise housing estate. When a massive fire ignited in the middle of the afternoon, tearing across seven of the estate’s eight buildings, Alcaraz shielded the baby in her arms and was rescued by firefighters just in time, along with her employer’s elderly mother.

Hong Kong, an international financial hub of 7.5 million people, is home to hundreds of thousands of domestic helpers like Alcaraz, mostly women from low-income Asian countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia.

The bravery of Alcaraz and other domestic helpers during the Nov. 27 blaze at Wang Fuk Court in the northern district of Tai Po, which killed at least 159 people, has put a spotlight on the critical role they play in the city, where they work for low wages and often live in cramped homes alongside employers who heavily rely on them for housework and caregiving.

At least 10 domestic helpers were killed in the fire, including nine from Indonesia and one from the Philippines.