South Huntingdon, PA - A quick-thinking teenager may have saved Westmoreland County's last original covered bridge.
When the Bells Mills Bridge, which spans Sewickley Creek between South Huntingdon and Sewickley, caught fire Monday afternoon, Turkeytown junior firefighter Ian Swank, 15, heard the call on police scanner he keeps at home.
"I said, 'Mom, can you take me on a call?'" he said.
Swank, who lives two minutes away in South Huntingdon, jumped into his firefighting gear while his mother, Jan, grabbed the fire extinguisher the family keeps at home.
The first emergency responder on scene, Swank observed firefighting protocol, aiming at the base of the flame and then sweeping the extinguisher from side to side.
Gary Moore, an emergency services supervisor for West Newton and Rostraver, arrived with his ambulance soon after Swank.
"He had the fire pretty much under control," Moore said. "If he wouldn't have been there when he was, the fire could have spread. It could have affected the stability of the bridge."
Moore, who also is a volunteer firefighter with the Yukon company, said he was impressed by the teen's professionalism.
"It seemed like it was just a routine thing he was doing," Moore said. "He was observing precautions. He was fully dressed in his gear."
After a neighbor, George Harvey, arrived with more fire extinguishers, Moore and Swank worked together to keep the flames down. When fire trucks from the Hutchinson and Yukon departments arrived about five minutes later, the pair already had prevented further damage to the bridge.
"He's a very intelligent, mature young man," said Moore, who taught Swank CPR as part of an emergency responder course. "Hopefully his interest in firefighting and community service sustains. I think when he's an adult, he could be an asset for the community."
Swank, a student at Yough Senior High School who became a junior firefighter at 14, said that he planned to continue volunteering with the Turkeytown company, just like his sister Alyson, 23.
"I like to be on the scenes," he said. "I like helping people. I like being able to solve things."
Also, he admitted, "It's fun to ride on the fire trucks."
The bridge, which, in addition to its historical value is an important link for the surrounding community, will remain open, Westmoreland County officials said.
Public Works Director Claude Petroy Sr. said the county owns the bridge, which was built in 1850, and will be responsible for its repair.
"It's mostly superficial," said county engineer Henry Fitz, who inspected the bridge Tuesday. He said repairs would be made sometime this summer.
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