By Jaimee Lynn Fletcher
The Orange County Register
LOS ANGELES — The hustling streets of downtown Los Angeles were quieted Friday morning as more than 6,000 paid tribute to fallen Los Angeles city firefighter Brent Lovrien, a Brea resident.
Fire engines representing departments from across California lined downtown streets.
Thousands of firefighters marched to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. Firefighters from other departments first stood on the side and saluted and then fell in behind the city of Los Angeles firefighters in the queue.
Mournful melodies from bagpipers and feet stepping in time were all that could be heard in nearby blocks.
The extravagant display pulled downtown workers from their offices and caused passers-by to stop.
“This is a good show of patriotism for a noble cause,” said Los Angeles resident Mike Winter, 23.
The fire-engine-red casket, bedecked with lilies, orchids and roses, was hoisted from Engine 95 by Lovrien’s firefighter brothers. Some wiped tears from their face with gloved hands while others stood with a stern expression.
On March 26, Lovrien was cutting into an electrical panel at about 2 p.m. at the Water and Power Community Credit Union at 8800 S. Sepulveda Blvd. near Los Angeles International Airport. He was investigating reports of a fire in a locked storage room after the explosion of two underground electric vaults that blew manholes from the street. He was fatally injured in a blast when the electric saw he was using sparked combustible gases in the room.
Firefighter Matty Mullen, 39, was on the scene that day.
“It happened so fast it was just chaotic,” he said. “But when we heard one of our brothers was down, we immediately came to his aid.”
Mullen often worked overtime with Lovrien and took a vacation to Boston with a group that included Lovrien.
“There are givers and takers in this world, and he was definitely a giver,” Mullen said.
Friend and colleague Mike Meza, 31, knew the Brea resident as “Lovey,” a burly man with the high-pitched voice, big smile and an even bigger heart.
“We’re here to honor him,” Meza said.
Among the mourners was Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
“It’s an everyday reminder of just how dangerous the job is,” he said. “We’re just here to say goodbye.”
 Photo Mike Meadows A memorial reception took place at the LAFD Training Center after the funeral. |
The service revolved around the Fire Department’s time-honored traditions.
Lovrien’s turnout gear, hat and axe sat atop a table at the front of the church. He was saluted with the Last Alarm — 10 chimes from a brass bell that signal a firefighter’s call to duty and the end of his service.
Lovrien was a 13-year veteran firefighter; he spent 10 of those years with the LAFD. He recently moved to Brea from La Habra, where he had lived with his brother.
Lovrien is survived by his mother, Patricia Lovrien; father, Glenn Lovrien; stepmother, Sheri Lovrien; grandfather, Glenn R. Lovrien; and his brother, Shenan Lovrien.
And his firefighter family at LAFD.
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