ALTADENA, Calif. (KABC) — After 22 years in business, Maria and Jose Amezcua are starting over, not only rebuilding their business Amezcua Cleaning, but their entire lives.
“It’s like a bad dream. We’re still in shock,” said Jose. “We lost customers. It’s sad because they lost homes as well,” Maria said.
Maria, Jose, their three sons and her brother all lived at their home on Alta Loma Drive in Altadena. Everything in their house, and everything connected to their work, reduced to rubble by the Eaton Fire.
“All my tools, all our supplies. I do maintenance, do everything is gone. It’s really hard,” said Jose.
The couple isn’t alone. So many residents who are self-employed have lost both their homes and their livelihood.
The Pasadena Community Job Center has become an emergency center for day laborers impacted by the fires.
They are helping “people who have lost everything in the fires. People whose house is safe, but lost their jobs because their employers lost their homes,” said Nadia Marin-Molina with the National Day Laborer Organization Network.
The Amezcua’s said they are struggling to process the loss and find the help they need with housing and other essentials, all while trying to save their business.
“I am working and my mind is thinking about something else and not grieving,” said Maria.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe was set up to help the Amezcua family.
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