BRIDGETON, Ind. (AP) -- Investigators detained a man with an arson conviction Thursday a short time after a fire destroyed a covered bridge considered one of the most scenic wooden spans in western Indiana's Parke County.
The fire on the 137-year-old bridge spanning Raccoon Creek was reported about 12:30 a.m., but the structure was already fully engulfed when firefighters arrived minutes later, said State Fire Marshal Roger Johnson.
''The bridge was doomed by the time the fire alarm was sounded,'' Johnson said.
Investigators found signs that a flammable liquid was used to start the fire, which reduced the 245-foot-long bridge to burned timbers that collapsed into the creek, he said.
After the fire was reported, sheriff's deputies who were sent to the county's other covered bridges to check on their safety arrested a man who was near another of the wooden spans, Sheriff Charles Bollinger said.
The man, who has a previous arson conviction, was being questioned in the fire, Bollinger said. Authorities, who did not release the man's name, were holding him on a parole violation charge.
Bollinger said that once investigators finish their work, the case would be turned over to county prosecutors to decide whether criminal charges will be filed.
The bridge, which was built in 1868 about 15 miles northeast of Terre Haute, was open only to pedestrian traffic. It was among 31 covered bridges in Parke County, which is the site of an annual fall festival that draws thousands of people to view the historic structures.
''This was one of Indiana's most famous covered bridges _ one of the most photographed and visited throughout the year,'' said Cathy Harkrider, the office manager at Parke County Inc.
Although the bridge was lost, firefighters were able to prevent damage to an 1870s era grist mill next to it, Johnson said.
Fire has struck the county's bridges before. In April 2002, arsonists destroyed the 87-year-old Jeffries Ford bridge, about 15 miles northeast of Terre Haute. A suspected arson the previous month had caused minor damage to a covered bridge near Turkey Run State Park.
