Steve Jefferson/Eyewitness News
Parke County, April 27 - Melanie Foxworthy took snapshots of the burned up Bridgeton Covered Bridge. "I have a lot of pictures of before ... for my own personal use."
Flames left the historic bridge in complete ruins.
Built in 1860, the double span bridge became the most photographed in Parke County.
Parke county's 30 covered bridges attract people from all over the world.
But the fire struck home in the hearts of those who live there.
Parke County Incorporated Manager Kathy Harkrider says, "I arrived around 1:15 and my first thoughts were, my heart is broken."
Fire investigators spent the day collecting evidence from the burned bridge. They hope to link that evidence to the person of interest they already have in custody.
A Parke County sheriff's deputy arrested that person of interest at the Mansfield Bridge, a short driving distance from the Bridgeton Bridge.
"If that was what his intentions were, then it was not going to get accomplished because he was stopped before that could occur," says Parke County Sheriff Charles Bollinger.
Many Parke County residents want justice for whoever set the fire, especially those who feel they have a personal stake in their covered bridges.
Fire investigators have already determined some of the accelerants used and hope to name their person of interest as the prime suspect eventually.
State Fire Marshal Roger Johnson believes, "There is a high probability that some sort of flammable liquid was used in the ignition of the fire."
Foxworthy has a personal interest in the local bridges. "My grandfather and some of his family helped build a couple of them."
One of the things Melanie and other bridge lovers are glad to know, there is already talk about rebuilding this part of their history.
A lot of people went by just to get a look at the crime scene.
The person of interest is also suspected in the last covered bridge fire in Parke County.
He failed to do a change of address notification to his parole officer, so he's in jail pending formal charges.
