BOSTON -- Thousands of mourners gathered once again for the funeral Friday of one of two Boston firefighters killed battling a restaurant blaze in the city's West Roxbury neighborhood last week.

The service for Warren Payne, 53, of Canton, Mass., was held at the United House of Prayer for All People at 11 a.m. in the city's Dorchester neighborhood, where Payne grew up.

Mourning firefighters could be seen in tears, embracing inside the church as those paying their respects filed into the sanctuary on Seaver Street.

As services began, Payne was honored for his bravery and selflessness.

"Today we are here to celebrate the life of a fallen hero, Warren J. Payne. I am in awe of the duties of firemen. In my estimation, they are heroes. They give of themselves unconditionally. These individuals, when most are running from fires, they are running to fires. What I like about it is, it doesn't matter where you come from, their only goal is to save a life. And Warren did that. He gave a service. He gave his life for mankind," Apostle C.D. Baptist, the pastor of the United House of Prayer, said.

The ministers who co-celebrated the service said they had gathered not so much to mourn Payne's loss as to celebrate his life of service.

"Why can't we be spiritual firefighters, willing to go, whatever the cause may be?" prayed Apostle C. Polk, the church's New Bedford pastor. "Father, we ask that brother Warren will continue to be an example for all of us."

Payne was the son of Florence R. Payne and Izza Booker and was a graduate of Brighton High School. He joined the Boston Fire Department in 1988 after working at Massachusetts General Hospital. He worked at the West Roxbury fire station his entire career.

According to his obituary, on the night of his death Payne was not scheduled to work but had come in to cover the shift of a fellow firefighter who needed the time off to take emergency medical training.

His captain at Ladder 25, Patrick Nichols, remembered Payne affectionately as "one of the loudest members of our house," who always had an opinion and who acted as an ambassador to the entire neighborhood.

Payne was also known as a gregarious man with a good sense of humor. His voice choked with emotion, Nichols recalled a memory where Payne jokingly looked at his own reflection in a station house mirror and asked, "How could you not love this face?" At that recollection, the congregation erupted in applause.

"He was a gentle, caring man, but he was a bull at the fire," Nichols said of the veteran firefighter, who was known as the "Go to," guy at his fire house.

"When it came to walking the walk, he walked the walk. His deeds matched his words," said Harold Schaitberger, the general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters.

During the service, Payne's family was awarded the Pierce Medal of Honor, the highest that can be bestowed for fire service. His children were given his uniform cap and badge. In a centuries old tradition, a bell was rung four times to signify a firefigher returning home for the last time.

During the eulogy and sermon, Payne's death was called an act of love.

"Firefighters know more about love than many of us," the Rev. Dr. Gregory Groover said. "Warren, your sacrifice was not in vain. For in the giving of your life, you have taught us how to love ... your sacrifice has shown us the face of God."

Some mourners outside the church said they did not know Payne personally, but wanted to come to pay their respects because of his heroism.

"I heard about him as a firefighter ... for me he's like a personal brother because he's out here doing the job we should all be appreciating ... after all, they do lay their life on the line," mourner John Kirkland said.

"It's sad because he's like part of the family," another woman said, explaining why she had come to the service.

Payne leaves behind two sons, Jonathan, 16, and Jeremy, 15, both of Newton; his mother Florence; a twin brother, Wayne; a sister, Bessie; a brother, Donald; his ex-wife Cheryl, and his longtime companion Patricia Hackett. He will be buried in the firefighters' plot at Forest Hills Cemetery in Boston.

Payne and Paul Cahill, 55, of Scituate, Mass., were killed Aug. 29 when they answered a call for a fire at the Tai-Ho chinese restaurant on Centre Street.

Officials said the blaze had been smoldering in a drop ceiling space for at least an hour before it was noticed. Investigators said it was likely a vicious backdraft that killed the two firefighters.

A funeral Mass was held for Cahill at Holy Name Catholic Church in West Roxbury Thursday with an estimated 30,000 firefighters from all over the world in attendance.