Firefighter to Be Remembered at Funeral

A massive and solemn procession of firetrucks and apparatus will start today’s funeral events for Fire Department Capt. Joseph C. Dupee, the first Los Angeles city firefighter to die in the line of duty in 14 years. An estimated 2,000 firefighters manning 200 engines and trucks are expected to attend from around the state and country, a department spokesman said.

The 8:30 a.m. procession will go past the scene of the industrial building fire, near Western Avenue and 60th Street, where Dupee, 38, was killed March 8 after ordering the rest of his crew out of the burning structure. Mourners on foot can join the procession at the intersection of Vermont and Florence avenues and continue to Dupee’s last assigned fire station, at 7800 Vermont Ave. From 10:30 to noon, a memorial service will be held at the nearby Crenshaw Christian Center. Another service, focused on Dupee’s family, is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Grace Community Church, 13248 Roscoe Blvd., in Sun Valley.