Crime & Safety
Local Firefighters Honor Fallen Colleagues
Two members of the San Francisco Fire Department died in the line of duty last week.
Members of the Piedmont, Albany and Berkeley Fire Departments gathered Friday morning to caravan to San Francisco to salute their fallen comrades. They attended a funeral service for two firefighters who died last week fighting a blaze in the Diamond Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.
Family, friends and firefighters from around the country attended the services for Lt. Vincent Perez, 48, and firefighter-paramedic Anthony Valerio, 53. The pair died of injuries they suffered while battling a fire at a home at 133 Berkeley Way on June 2. Perez died later that day and Valerio succumbed to his injuries on Saturday morning.
A vigil was held for the two men Thursday night at St. Mary's Cathedral, the site of Friday's funeral. After the funeral, the men were to be buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma.
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Streets have been closed around San Francisco to make way for the funeral and procession to the cemetery.
Bay City News Service contributed to this report.
