A quick-thinking police officer has been praised for his bravery after crawling into a burning building in Adelaide to rescue a woman who had fallen unconscious inside.
The constable was first on the scene at a house fire in Ridgehaven in Adelaide's northeast about 6pm on Wednesday and was alerted that a woman might still be inside.
Defying all sense of self-preservation, the officer approached the Jordan St house and forced his way in.
Confronted by a cloud of smoke, he got down on his hands and knees and moved deeper towards the incipient inferno.
Hearing a noise he sensed may have come from the woman, the officer managed to find the 53-year-old, who by that time had fallen unconscious, and dragged her from the building.
The woman and the officer were taken to hospital, where the woman remains in a stable condition being treated for burns and smoke inhalation.
The constable has since been discharged after being assessed for smoke inhalation and is in good spirits, Superintendent Julie Thomas said.
"It was a very brave thing to do and we believe his actions have saved the life of this woman," she told reporters on Thursday.
While she refused to call him a hero, Supt Thomas said his actions will be considered for commendation or a medal.
"He's definitely worthy of some recognition and, as I said, we'll follow our processes and see what bears out from there," she said.
The cause of the fire is unknown but police are not treating it as suspicious.
