WASHINGTON COUNTY, Ky. — According to a Facebook post, Washington County Police and Kentucky State Police are investigating after a historic covered bridge was destroyed by a fire. Police that arson may have been the cause for the destruction.
The Mt. Zion covered bridge, which is in Springfield, was engulfed in flames around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday. Springfield is about an hour away from Louisville.
Washington County Judge Executive Timothy Graves was one of the first on the scene.
"Coming down that hill I could see the flames, and the smoke in the night because it was close to midnight," Graves said. "I almost got sick to my stomach"
The bridge was built in 1871, and is on the National Register of Historical Places. Running across Beech Fork, the bridge is the longest multi-span covered bridge in the Commonwealth.
Wednesday, community members came to see the damage for themselves, while others came to investigate what happened last night.
In 2018, The bridge had undergone more than a million dollars in renovations from the state of Kentucky. Now all that's left are memories.
"I think its going to leave a gap in our community that we will never be able to replace, because as you can see we can't get it back," Graves said. "It's gone and it's gone for good."
The Washington Co. Sheriff's Office says that the destruction of the historic bridge has sadden many in the community.
PHOTOS | Historic Kentucky bridge burns, arson suspected
If anyone has information about the incident, contact Washington Co. Sheriff Jerry Pinkston at 859-336-5400.
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