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On [[June 20]], [[1899]], a fire in Fort Picken's Bastion D reached the bastion's magazine, which contained 8,000 pounds of powder. The resulting explosion killed one soldier and obliterated Bastion D. The force of the explosion was so great that bricks from Bastion D's walls landed across the bay at Fort Barrancas, more than one and one-half miles away.<ref>[http://fcit.usf.edu/FLORIDA/photos/military/picken/picken.htm http://fcit.usf.edu/FLORIDA/photos/military/picken/picken.htm]</ref> On [[January 30]], [[1903]], five tons of condemned dynamite were detonated near the fort, about a mile away from the battery. The resulting explosion created a hole "large enough to hide a house" on the beach and was felt across Pensacola Bay in the city, cracking plaster and shattering windows.<ref>"Dynamite shook Pensacola." ''New York Times'', January 31, 1903</ref>
==Hurricane Ivan==
In September [[2004]], [[Hurricane Ivan]] battered the Gulf Islands National Seashore, causing extensive flooding, the destruction of a number of buildings, and a large number of felled trees. Despite the extensive damage, the actual fort "held its ground during the hurricane with only minor damage."<ref>[http://www.nps.gov/archive/guis/FLA/Hurricane%20Ivan/Hurricane.html http://www.nps.gov/archive/guis/FLA/Hurricane%20Ivan/Hurricane.html]</ref>
==References==
