J.J. Watt donates $10,000 to support family of firefighter killed in Sun Prairie explosion

Taylor Palmby | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

J.J. Watt, a former UW Badger and Wisconsin native, donated $10,000 to a GoFundMe page created for Cory Barr, the fire captain who was killed in an explosion Tuesday evening in Sun Prairie.

The explosion, which injured 15 and killed Barr, occurred on the corner of Main and Bristol streets after a gas main was struck by a contractor, which caused a leak.

Barr had been a member of the Sun Prairie Fire Department for 15 years. He was also a realtor and owner of The Barr House tavern, which was one of the buildings destroyed in the explosion. He is survived by his wife, Abby Barr, and twin daughters, who, according to Abby Barr, would shout "Daddy's home!" whenever he walked through the door.

Watt, a former University of Wisconsin defensive end who plays in the NFL for the Houston Texans, was born and raised about an hour from the explosion. His donation is just one of over a thousand that have been made to support Barr's family during this tragedy.

You know why @JJWatt is awesome? Because he does stuff like this. #SunPrairieStrong pic.twitter.com/PhvrEycT11 — Mike Jocko Jacques (@jockosports) July 11, 2018

Watt, the child of a firefighter, silently made his donation hours after a woman tweeted him asking for his support.

@JJWatt please do what you can for Cory Barr's family. He was very well known, liked & appreciated in the Sun Prairie community. He was brave and a true hero! Any & all support from one fellow fire fighter family to another! #RIPCaptCoryBarr #firefamily https://t.co/oEE9aCNPqW — Jenna Blaser (@jennnn_bunny) July 11, 2018

Watt has not yet made any public comments about the donation, but he is a known philanthropist — he helped raise over $37 million for those affected by Hurricane Harvey and he donated $10,000 to a Texas student who was injured during a football game.

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Barr's GoFundMe page has raised over $70,000. In addition, GoFundMe has created a centralized page for all GoFundMe campaigns involving the Sun Prairie explosion. To donate click here.