A show of respect at firefighter's funeral
The streets around L.A.'s civic center temporarily go quiet during the procession for Brent Lovrien, who was killed in an explosion in Westchester last week.
As the red casket of a fallen firefighter rolled through downtown Los Angeles this morning on a gold cart, normally frenetic streets grew quiet and still.
Surrounded by family and friends, the casket of Los Angeles firefighter Brent Lovrien, 35, his station number "LAFD 95" etched in white on its lid, made its way past scores of firefighters in dress blacks and passersby who stopped and stared.
Lovrien, an 11-year veteran, was killed in the line of duty last week. He suffered fatal injuries in an explosion in Westchester as he tried to cut through a metal door to get to the source of smoke from an electrical vault.
The procession set off about 8:30 a.m. from City Hall for the short walk to his funeral mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.
The group walked up Main Street, to Grand and Temple Streets, past thousands of uniformed firefighters from around Southern California who parked their trucks along the route. The men and women saluted and then fell in step for the walk to church.
As the procession grew, pedestrians stopped and stared, some snapping pictures. Children waved.
Curtis Blake, who lives downtown, was on his way to work in Lincoln Heights when he stumbled onto the procession--awed by the masses who came out.
"It looks like thousands of them are streaming in from all over the place," Blake said as he watched. "I've seen it on TV but never in person."
By 9 a.m., half an hour before the funeral was scheduled to start, the procession had reached the cathedral. Cardinal Roger M. Mahony emerged to greet the contingent of Lovrien's family and friends, who were temporarily seated beside the casket, opposite the cathedral, in the middle of Temple Street in wooden folding chairs.
Lovrien had been among the firefighters who had responded to reports of explosions and smoke pouring from a manhole. They were attempting to reach the source of the smoke when the blast occurred. It also injured fire Engineer Anthony J. Guzman, 48, who emerged from surgery for multiple fractures in serious but stable condition.
Fire officials said Lovrien acted according to policy and had no way of knowing that using the saw could trigger an explosion. Los Angeles Fire Chief Douglas Barry said the policy for handling such situations would be reviewed.
Lovrien, who lived in La Habra, joined the force in 1997. Nicknamed "Lovey," he was a hazardous materials specialist.
