Firefighter Brent Lovrien’s funeral

Lovrien’s casket is carried through the streets of the Civic Center on a firetruck.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Firefighters accompany Lovrien’s body along Temple Street to the cathedral.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

Mourners and bystanders watch the procession outside the cathedral in downtown Los Angeles. “It looks like thousands of them are streaming in from all over the place,” one bystander said of the procession. “I’ve seen it on TV but never in person.”  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Firetruck ladders form an arch along the procession.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Helicopters fly in formation near City Hall.  (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

A firefighter wears a tribute to Los Angeles firefighter Brent Lovrien at his funeral at Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. Lovrien was killed last week in an explosion.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

The bumper of a firetruck carries a memorial to Brent Lovrien, including empty firefighter boots.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

“He was always smiling; he had a great sense of humor,” a battalion chief said of Lovrien in an interview last week.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Lovrien makes a final journey on the firetruck he once served on.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

A firefighter color guard approaches the casket inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Lovrien’s family grieves during the service inside the cathedral.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Members of Lovrien’s battalion mourn at his funeral.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

Firefighter Anthony J. Guzman, who was injured in the explosion that killed Brent Lovrien last week, listens during the service.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

A memorial to Lovrien at the funeral included a photo of him and a display of firefighers’ gear. His name and nickname -- Brent ‘Lovey” Lovrien -- is inscribed on the fire ax.  (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)