Insurance agents usually show up after the damage is done, but Verne Valentine of the Verne J. Valentine Farmer's Insurance Agency helped save the day as fire broke out on an apartment balcony above his business on April 12.

A full fire response call went out to police and fire dispatch at 2:40 p.m. with early information that flames were shooting out of a third story apartment on the 2200 block of California Ave S.W.

Valentine was alerted to the blaze, grabbed his fire extinguisher, ran upstairs and put the fire out before it caused serious harm. Firefighters on the scene credited Valentine with saving the apartment.

The blaze was caused by garbage catching on fire.

"This is living proof that insurance works," Valentine said in the aftermath.