Emily Heidemann
Wisconsin State Journal
SUN PRAIRIE, Wis. — A New York-based charity announced Tuesday that it has paid off the mortgage of a volunteer Sun Prairie Fire Department captain who died in 2018 trying to evacuate people during a gas line explosion in downtown Sun Prairie.
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Corey Barr began his firefighting career at age 18, becoming the youngest member in Sun Prairie Fire Department history and earning the Firefighter of the Year award in 2017.
He had been with the fire department for 15 years when he died in July 2018 after being caught in an explosion while helping evacuate people near a natural gas leak. The explosion, which occurred in downtown Sun Prairie, destroyed or severely damaged several businesses and homes.
Barr is survived by his wife, Abby Barr, and twin daughters.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation paid off the Bahr family's mortgage through its Fallen Emergency Workers program.
The charity was founded after 9/11 with the mission of providing mortgage-free housing to surviving first responders with young children, building housing for injured veterans and public safety personnel, and ending homelessness among veterans.
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“Captain Barr spent his life helping others, and in his final moments he risked his life to evacuate others to safety,” Tunnel to Towers Foundation CEO Frank Schiller said in a statement. “Tunnel to Towers will honor his service and sacrifice by ensuring Abby and the twins can remain in the home they shared so many memories with on Independence Day.”
“I am incredibly proud to be the surviving wife of Corey James Barr,” Abbie Barr said in a statement. “He is the reason I am who I am and that I have two beautiful daughters. With the support of Tunnel to Towers, our situation has been made much easier. My goal in life is to give my daughters the best life possible, and with the support of Tunnel to Towers, I can make that happen.”
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