Mourners, including 700 uniformed officers, honor firefighter killed in blast

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON - Mourners gathered at Sun Prairie High School on Saturday to pay their respects to a volunteer firefighter who was killed after a punctured natural gas line exploded, leveling a city block Tuesday.

More than 2,000 people, including about 700 uniformed officers, turned out to honor Capt. Cory Barr. And, while they lauded his service to the fire department and his community, he was, above all, they said, a devoted family man who left a wife and two young daughters.

Officers stand at attention Saturday as mourners file into Sun Prairie High School for the funeral of volunteer firefighter Cory Barr, who died Tuesday in a natural gas explosion.

"You have never met a more devoted father or husband than Cory Barr," said retired firefighter Dave Schroud. "Cory made all three of his girls his top priority every moment of every day."

Barr, he said, had the life he had always wanted — an amazing wife, two beautiful twin daughters and a bar of his own.

"Cory was a humble man who knew his blessings and never ever, ever forgot them."

His sister, Kim Barr, called him "the glue" that bound their family together.

"He had this glow, this aura about him," she said.

Members of the Sun Prairie Fire Department lead Capt. Cory Barr's casket to the front entrance of Sun Prairie High School, where his funeral was held on Saturday. Barr died in an explosion Tuesday in downtown Sun Prairie.

During the service, Barr's fellow firefighters held back tears as they described him as humble, devoted and blessed.

Sun Prairie Fire Chief Christopher Garrison said he believes, if given the chance, Barr would not have changed a thing on the day of the explosion, when he rushed to help evacuate people in the area.

And he said Barr would want his friends, family and the Sun Prairie community to begin to move forward.

"He would face the danger, and he would do it all over again," Garrison said. "Tomorrow we start picking up the pieces and we start making things better because that's what Cory wants. We are going to rebuild Sun Prairie. We are going to rebuild family."

Barr, 34, died after a contractor hit a gas line under the streets of downtown Sun Prairie, prompting a massive explosion that injured 11 others and destroyed a number of buildings — including Barr's tavern.

He leaves behind his wife, Abby Barr, and twin 3-yer-old daughters. As of Friday, more than $160,000 was raised for the family through a donation website.

American Legion Post 333 recently recognized Sun Prairie Firefighter of the Year Captain Cory Barr (right) and Sun Prairie Police Officer of the Year Officer Todd Lukens.

Speaking before the service, state firefighters union President Mahlon Mitchell said firefighters like Barr put their lives on the line for their communities.

"That's why we're here," said Mitchell, who is running for governor. "We all know that, unfortunately, it can be any one of us. And we are here to show support for the family, for the department, for the community but also for ourselves."

Barr was hailed earlier this week by his fire chief and Gov. Scott Walker as a hero who helped the fire department evacuate more than 100 people from the downtown area before the explosion occurred.

Police have not named the company that employed the contractor that hit the gas line. But on Friday, Verizon Wireless contractor Bear Communications said its subcontractor, VC Tech, had workers in the area of the blast.

A member of the Sheboygan Fire Department embraces another before the funeral for Sun Prairie firefighter Cory Barr, who died in a explosion in downtown Sun Prairie on Tuesday. An estimated 600 to 700 people from other departments attended the funeral at Sun Prairie High School on Saturday. Among them were firefighters from departments in Chicago and Nebraska.

"When VC Tech’s employees smelled gas they notified authorities of the gas leak and assisted in evacuating people from the area before the explosion occurred," a spokesman for Bear Communications said in a statement.

Sun Prairie Police Lt. Kevin Konopacki said because the death investigation remains open, he would not disclose the name of the subcontractor.

Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne said Sun Prairie investigators haven't asked his office to get involved in the case.

Sun Prairie Mayor Paul Esser pushed back when pressed by a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter on whether Esser knew more about VC Tech and could provide more details about the company.

"The mayor doesn't need to know who the subcontractor is," Esser said. "I don't care."

We Energies, which owns the natural gas line, also would not say Thursday whether the contractor sought to identify the location of the gas main before performing work in the area.

When asked if Verizon and Bear Communications require contractors to prove nearby utility lines have been identified before starting work, a Verizon spokesman said the company has "said all we can say at this point pending the results of an ongoing investigation."