WORCESTER--Surrounded by a sea of uniformed firefighters in a filled-to-capacity arena in Worcester yesterday, religious leaders and President Clinton paid homage to the six Worcester firefighters who died in a blaze Dec. 3.

Early yesterday morning, as a stream of thousands of uniformed firefighters marched silently into Worcester's Centrum arena, somber onlookers lined the surrounding streets.

The crowd was eerily silent as a stream of uniformed firefighters passed underneath an American flag suspended between the ladders of two fire trucks before entering the building for the memorial service.

Firefighters from across the nation processed into the arena, the silence broken only by the sharp beats of drums and bagpipe music.

Most Rev. Daniel P. Reilly, the Roman Catholic bishop of Worcester, began the service with a prayer.

"We cannot say enough about the valor of these six men," Reilly said. "Their goodness, their heroism, their sacrifice teaches us all."

When an abandoned warehouse in Worcester caught fire last Friday, two firefighters entered the building to search for homeless people reportedly still inside. After the two firefighters radioed for help, four others responded. All six men died.

A homeless couple has been charged with starting the fire, which authorities believe began when they knocked over a candle during an argument. The two have pled guilty to six counts of involuntary manslaughter.