A Toronto fire captain who died of work-related colon cancer on Friday was laid to rest on Wednesday with full honours.

Gary Allen Wilson, 48, was found to have died in the line of duty after the Workplace Safety Insurance Board declared his cancer to be related to the chemicals and smoke he was exposed to on the job.

More than 700 firefighters across the Greater Toronto Area, and some from as far away as Winnipeg, attended the solemn service at Margaret's-in-the-Pines Anglican Church on Lawrence Avenue East.

Wilson worked as a firefighter for 24 years.

"It's fairly unusual to have somebody that young pass away from an occupational disease, so that makes it that much worse for us here at the Toronto fire department," Deputy Chief Frank Lamie said outside the church.

Mayor David Miller was among the dignitaries in attendance.

"It's very tragic. Captain Wilson put himself in the way of danger, was taken by a terrible disease and the sad truth is that firefighters across this province face these kinds of diseases every day, and they often don't even know when they are putting themselves in danger," Miller said.

"My thoughts are with his family today. He was a very brave man and my thoughts are also with firefighters who shouldn't be subject to these kinds of diseases and should certainly receive appropriate treatment and support, and we're all working towards that."

During the service, Wilson's wife Daniela said their teenaged daughter Christina considered him as her hero.

Outside the church, a giant Canadian flag was draped between two fire pumpers, blowing in the slow wind.

After Wilson's casket was escorted from the service, it was placed on Toronto fire rescue truck 231 for his final journey.

The captain worked at Station 231 on Markham Road nearby.

Paul Atkinson, who is a representative for the Toronto Firefighters' Association, said Wilson's line-of-duty death is one of 170 claims which have been approved by the board. He says 120 of those claimants have died.

Deadly statistics

Figures show two-thirds of firefighters will contract some form of cancer.

A study released in the 1990s, which analyzed data from more than 5,000 Toronto firefighters over the span of 40 years, showed they are at an elevated risk for brain, bladder, kidney and colon cancer, among others.

"You go to work assuming you're going to have certain risks that you're going to be confronted with, but that's not one of them," says Acting District Chief Don Beam, a 29-year veteran and testicular cancer survivor.

Atkinson says protective gear has become more sophisticated over the years, but the equipment still doesn't protect against chemicals and carcinogens that seep through the gear and are absorbed into the skin.

With reports from CTV's Jim Junkin and MairiAnna Bachynsky