Advertisement Covered bridge fire believed suspicious Fire heavily damages Station Covered Bridge in Salisbury Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A historic covered bridge in Salisbury was heavily damaged by a suspicious fire.Firefighters responded to the Station Covered Bridge on the Salisbury-Cornwall town line about 2:50 p.m. Saturday.View photos of the fire | Watch this storyIsabel Lower was the first to call the fire department, after seeing smoke coming out of the side of the bridge. She said as soon as she got off the one-minute phone call with dispatchers, the whole bridge was up in flames.The wooden bridge crossing Otter Creek was completely engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.Swamp Road in Cornwall to Creek Road in Salisbury was closed as the bridge was impassible.NBC5 viewers sent photos and videos of the historic bridge burning before firefighters arrived.According to coveredbridgesite.com, a website dedicated to the appreciation of historic covered bridges, the Cornwall-Salisbury bridge was built in 1865, with a pier added in 1970.The website said the 136-foot-long, one-lane structure is known by several names, including the Station Bridge, Creek Road Bridge, Cedar Swamp Bridge and Salisbury Station Bridge.Lower said like many, she is upset that the bridge is no longer functioning, recalling a similar incident,"There used to be Three Mile Bridge on Three Mile Bridge Road. That was a historic bridge that burned down and was never rebuilt," Lower said. "Bridges burn down and it just disconnects the entire town from the other side of the river. I was immediately like 'wow this is going to be a huge inconvenience."She is also upset because the bridge is home to a colony of little brown bats, which is an endangered species in Vermont. She did not see any bats escape alive and fears they all got burned.Crews have not said how the fire may have started or why it was considered suspicious.The cause of the fire was under investigation. Firefighters from the Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department and the Salisbury Fire Department were at the scene.Drivers should seek alternative routes. There is no timetable for when the road will reopen.State police asked anyone with information on the fire to call 802-773-9101 or the arson tip hotline at 1-800-32-ARSON.NECN contributed to this report.