San Francisco firefighters paid tribute at a funeral Tuesday morning for Battalion Chief Terry Smerdel, who died while on duty earlier this month.
Smerdel, who had worked with the department since 1991, died on Sept. 10 while working a shift at Battalion 1. Fire officials said he had returned from an early morning fire call and was later found unresponsive in his office.
The private funeral, which began at 10 a.m., is taking place at St. Ignatius Church at 650 Parker Ave. It will be followed by a procession to Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery.