21 residents displaced after fire at Tenderloin apartment buildings: SFFD

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco crews have contained a two-alarm fire that tore through three apartment buildings in the city's Tenderloin neighborhood early Friday morning and displaced dozens of residents, according to fire officials.

Shortly after 3 a.m., crews responded to 50 Golden Gate Ave. and found flames had erupted on the sixth floor of a residential building and already spread into the attic and roof, according to the San Francisco Fire Department.

"I opened the back door to the back, down the back door staircase, it was crazy. It was really crazy. It was scary. And I'm surprised no one got injured or no one got killed. I'm glad we made it out of there," said building resident, Desiree Ruskin.

More than 100 firefighters and over 50 fire apparatus, along with police and other city agencies, responded to the scene. The building's older construction, such as multiple light wells and lath-and-plaster walls, gave the crews a tough time, fire officials said.

During the initial alarms, crews rescued multiple residents. Two cats were also saved and treated. No injuries were reported.

The fire was contained by 5:30 a.m. The department said 21 residents were displaced and were being sheltered in a Muni bus near the site. The American Red Cross has been called in to help them.

"This is a really unfortunate thing to happen during the holidays. This is not something that any family should have to be concerned about. I'm just really thankful our firefighters were able to make sure nobody was injured," said San Francisco Supervisor, Bilal Mahmood. "Our primary goal right now is to make sure everyone is housed. And we're really thankful that the Red Cross Fire Department HSA are really stepping up. There are people with families, people with pets, and we need to make sure we're getting them into the right kind of housing to serve their specific needs."

The cause of the fire remains to be confirmed, as of 6:30 a.m., and firefighters are expected to remain on scene for several hours for overhaul work.

Fire officials continue to urge the public to avoid the area.

ABC7 News reporter Tara Campbell contributed to this report.