It was a news story it that got little attention in the media, really; a relatively minor apartment fire on South Fairfax Street in Glendale on Jan. 6. Police and firefighters responded. The actions of one Glendale police officer before firefighters arrived, however, is praiseworthy.

Officer Nicholas Langdon came on the scene just after the alarm was sounded, and asked a resident standing outside where the fire was, and was told it must be "in one of the kids room."

Officer Langdon immediately went to the third floor, entered the smoky apartment and was immediately impacted by the smoke. He went backoutside, got a breath and went back in, on hands and knees, to check the bedroom, where he saw a smoldering mattress causing the heavy smoke, and determined there were no kids or other occupants still inside.

He went back outside, got his breath again, grabbed a fire extinguisher and went back into the apartment to try to put out the fire just as fire units arrived. He was visibly affected by the smoke, coughing and nauseous. He was treated at the scene with oxygen by rescue crews, then taken to Rose Medical Center for treatment of smoke inhalation.

If you've ever been in a fire or the aftermath when smoke is still heavy in the air, you understand this is no minor issue - smoke is what kills most fire victims, and smoke inhalation can be very dangerous.

Officer Langdon deserves a lot of praise for his unselfish efforts to determine no one was still in that apartment, at risk of his own safety, and for trying to control the fire. It's these kinds of selfless efforts that don't make the news often enough; and in my opinion speaks to the bravery that's often exhibited by first responders during emergencies that are seldom mentioned.

Well done, officer Langdon.