The fire that consumed Fort Pike's citadel in January of 1887 was lit by what seems like an unusual source...a marsh grass fire in the area around the fort sent sparks over the walls, and the only persons then stationed at our fort, Ordnance Sergeant David Porter and his family, were unable to do anything to prevent it. The only other reasonably dry and comfortable structure in the fort, the Officers' Quarters, also perished in the flames.