DELAND, Fla. --
Firefighters from across Central Florida came together to say goodbye to a fallen firefighter.
Volusia County Firefighter John Curry, 30, died early last week in a training accident, WESH 2 News reported.
Curry died after a tree fell on him Tuesday while he was training with his special firewalker team to fight wildfires.
He leaves behind a wife and a 3-year-old son.
Curry had a traditional funeral for a fallen firefighter. Nearly a thousand people crowded into Stetson Baptist Church in DeLand to remember Curry -- a firefighter and father.
"Look around at all the firefighter here and ask why they are here, it's because they all know J.J.," Volusia County Fire Services Chief Jim Tauber said.
Tauber said Curry was a part of a huge family of firefighters linked around the world.
"A special person that is a firefighter shares a common purpose. That purpose is a love of life and a strong desire to protect it at all costs," he said.
"The very first thing everyone said was of greatest importance to him was his family," Fire Union President John Calache said.
After the church service, colleagues placed his casket onto a fire engine for the trip to Curry's final resting place.
A sea of uniforms and grieving friends and family walked a mile to Oakdale cemetery.
Curry is the first Volusia County firefighter to die in the line of duty.
