In the early morning hours of Friday, December 13th, 2025, flames tore through a six-story apartment building at 50 Golden Gate Avenue in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, displacing 70 residents just days before the holidays. While San Francisco Fire Department crews battled the two-alarm blaze and rescued multiple residents from the burning building, another crucial response was unfolding behind the scenes – one that would ensure every displaced resident could access the help they desperately needed, regardless of the language they spoke.
The Human Services Agency of San Francisco (HSA) immediately engaged emergency protocols and called on Bilingva to provide Spanish-speaking interpreters to support the displaced residents. Our response was immediate, and our commitment continues as HSA works to help these families rebuild their lives in the aftermath of this devastating fire.
Shortly after 3 a.m., San Francisco Fire Department crews responded to reports of flames erupting from the sixth floor of the residential building. The fire quickly spread into the attic and roof, creating a dangerous situation that required over 100 firefighters and more than 50 fire apparatus to contain.
“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,” building resident Desiree Ruskin told ABC7 News.
The building’s older construction- including multiple light wells and lath-and-plaster walls – made firefighting efforts particularly challenging. Crews worked tirelessly through the night, rescuing multiple residents and even saving two cats. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, but by the time the fire was contained at 5:30 a.m., 21 residents had lost their homes and 70 residents were displaced.
The American Red Cross was called to the scene, and the displaced residents were initially sheltered in a Muni bus near the site. San Francisco Supervisor Bilal Mahmood arrived on scene, emphasizing the urgency of the situation: “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. Our primary goal right now is to make sure everyone is housed.”
In the chaos and trauma that follows a disaster like a residential fire, displaced residents face immediate, urgent needs: Where will they sleep tonight? How can they access emergency housing? What resources are available for replacing lost documents, clothing, and personal belongings? How can they contact family members or employers?
For Spanish-speaking residents with limited English proficiency, these already overwhelming questions become even more challenging without immediate access to professional interpretation services. In emergency situations, clear communication isn’t just important – it’s potentially life-saving.
This is where the partnership between HSA and Bilingva makes a critical difference. When HSA engaged our services in the immediate aftermath of the fire, our Spanish interpreters were able to:
Without professional interpretation, the language barrier could have turned an already traumatic situation into a prolonged crisis, delaying access to critical resources and leaving vulnerable families without the support they needed.
This wasn’t the first time HSA has called on Bilingva during an emergency—and it won’t be the last. Bilingva has been a trusted vendor for the City and County of San Francisco for years, building a relationship based on reliability, quality, and our proven ability to respond rapidly when crises emerge.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bilingva played a crucial role in supporting San Francisco’s emergency response efforts. We provided comprehensive language services to the Emergency Operations Center of San Francisco, ensuring that critical public health information, testing services, vaccination programs, and emergency assistance reached all San Francisco residents, regardless of the language they spoke.
The pandemic taught us valuable lessons about emergency response:
These lessons have informed our approach to every emergency response since, including our immediate engagement with the Tenderloin fire displaced residents.
The City and County of San Francisco works with numerous language service providers, but when emergency situations arise – situations where response time, reliability, and quality are non-negotiable – agencies like HSA turn to Bilingva because:
Proven Emergency Response Capability: We’ve demonstrated our ability to mobilize qualified interpreters rapidly in crisis situations, from natural disasters to public health emergencies to individual family crises like the Tenderloin fire.
Deep Local Knowledge: Based in the San Francisco Bay Area since 2001, we understand the unique demographics, community dynamics, and specific needs of San Francisco’s diverse populations.
24/7 Availability: Disasters don’t happen on a 9-to-5 schedule. Our dedicated 24/7 service ensures that when HSA calls at 3 a.m. because of a fire, or at midnight because of another emergency, we’re ready to respond immediately.
Quality Under Pressure: Our interpreters are carefully vetted for both linguistic skills and the ability to perform under stressful conditions. They understand trauma-informed communication and can maintain professionalism and accuracy even in emotionally charged situations.
Comprehensive Language Coverage: While Spanish interpretation was needed for the Tenderloin fire response, we maintain a network of professional interpreters covering 200+ languages, ensuring we can support San Francisco’s incredibly diverse population regardless of the language needs that arise.
Established Relationships: Years of partnership with city agencies mean we understand their protocols, systems, and specific requirements. We can integrate seamlessly with their emergency response processes without the delays that come with orienting a new vendor.
As we publish this post, the recovery effort for the 70 Tenderloin fire displaced residents continues. Bilingva interpreters remain engaged, supporting HSA’s ongoing work to help these families find stable housing, access benefits, replace lost documents, and begin rebuilding their lives.
The fire may have taken their homes, but with the coordinated response of San Francisco’s first responders, HSA staff, community partners, and language access services, these residents aren’t facing the recovery alone.
This is what community looks like: firefighters running into burning buildings to save lives, city agencies mobilizing immediately to provide support, and language service providers ensuring that every resident can access the help they need, regardless of the language they speak.