'At this point assembled the chiefs of the Persians, Orontovates and Memnon, and from the current events understood that they could not hold out against the siege for any length of time, seeing part of the wall fallen and the rest badly shaken, and great numbers of soldiers died as a result of the sallies while others wounded became unfit for combat. Having all these facts in mind, about the second watch of the night the wooden tower, which they built to counter the siege engines of the enemy, set on fire as well as the porticos where they stored the arrows. They also set on fire the houses that were close to the wall. Other houses caught on fire from the blaze from the porticos and the tower that grew furious and was carried off by the wind. From them, many retreated to the heights of the island and the others to the height which was called Salmacis. And Alexander, as soon as these events were reported to him by some deserters from the action, and he himself seeing the fire spreading, although it was the middle of the night, he brought out the Macedonians and put to sword the arsonists, and ordered that Alicarnassians found in their houses to be saved.' From Arrian's Anabasis of Alexander. Book 1:23(1-4).