A historic landmark in Meadville, PA, was saved from destruction by a Postal Service employee and his friend who extinguished a fire there and led police to the arsonist.
City Carrier Assistant Ryan Artman was at a sandwich shop with Kyle Willis after delivering packages on a recent Sunday. They noticed two people huddled in front of a bulletin board across the street at the Market House, a wood-frame structure built in 1870.
As the pair walked away, the bulletin board burst into flames.
The two witnesses leapt into action, telling shop workers to call 911 while Artman ran to the fire and Willis followed the suspects.
Realizing that it wasn’t just paper burning, but the cork board itself, Artman retrieved a fire extinguisher from the sandwich shop and put out the flames.
Meanwhile, Willis flagged down a police officer while tracking the suspects, one of whom was charged in the incident and pleaded guilty.
The Meadville Tribune newspaper later covered a city council meeting where the mayor issued a proclamation recognizing Artman and Willis for their heroism.
“I guess it was a good thing we were hungry that day,” Willis said afterward.