December 19, 2003 -- Hundreds of firefighters packed a Queens funeral home yesterday for an emotional wake for fallen comrade Thomas Brick, who died Tuesday fighting a blaze in a mattress storehouse in Inwood.
Patiently, they filed in to pay their respects, kneeling before the open casket. Many walked away with tears in their eyes.
Brick, 30, was dressed in the department's formal blues and lay in a mahogany casket, as two firefighters stood at attention as an honor guard.
"We're going to miss him for all the fun he brought to the firehouse," said Firefighter Michael Wunder, who worked with Brick at Ladder 36.
Funeral services will be held tomorrow at St. Kevin's Roman Catholic Church at 11 a.m.