This painting is the sketch for the larger picture now in Scarborough Art Gallery. It is so vivid that it is tempting to think it was done on the spot, which the inscription on the back seems to imply; however, the blaze was so late at night, so sudden and so fierce that it seems unlikely. It is, however, certainly an eye-witness account by this Antwerp-born Scarborough painter. A verbal account of the disaster was telegraphed in to The Daily News 'from our own correspondent' that very same night in a 'scoop' and published the next day:

To-night a scene, terrible in its grandeur, was witnessed at this place of fashionable resort. A large company had attended the Spa in the evening, and had listened to the performances of Herr Lutz's band, and it was not till ten o'clock that the company had dispersed. In addition to the ordinary attractions of the Spa, a grand bazaar was being held in aid of the funds of St. Mary's and Christ Churches, organised by the Venerable Archdeacon Blunt. Shortly after 10 o'clock the alarm was raised that the Spa saloon was on fire, and this proved to be only too true. Crowds of people were soon hurrying to the scene of the conflagration, which presented a grand spectacle. The sea, the cliff, and the surrounding landscape were lit up with a lurid glow, while showers of sparks fell on the sands and the Promenade, eclipsing the grand pyrotechnic displays which are associated with the Spa. It was evident that the entire block of buildings, embracing the saloon or theatre, the spacious refreshment rooms, &c., was doomed; the flames shot up high in the air, and soon the vaulted roof, which was so beautifully decorated and was dedicated to the Arts, began to fall in. The hose and reels were brought into requisition, and the local fire brigade worked gallantly under Superintendent Pattison, but all their efforts were in vain. In the hurry and excitement of the moment there was little time to save any of the valuable property. Portions of the bazaar goods were, however, removed, and among them the celebrated scriptural painting by Sir Noel Paton, "The Man of Sorrows." The scene presented as the lurid mass of flames enveloped the beautiful building, which had been designed by Sir Joseph Paxton, and illuminated the bay was grand in the extreme. Before the fire was extinguished the entire building was gutted, and the flames were allowed to burn themselves out.

In addition to the saving of Paton's picture of Christ (now in the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle), the musicians of Herr Lutz's band managed to rescue their instruments and music. It was believed that the sheer quantity of liquor in the bars of the building contributed to the blaze. The Spa was rebuilt quickly and re-opened three years later.

Alphonse Neümans came to Scarborough in 1870 to visit his brother Henri, who had been working in the photographic studio of Oliver Sarony (1820-1879), a Canadian photographer who had settled in Scarborough in 1857. Both brothers married Yorkshire women and stayed, establishing careers and families. Some of Alphonse's paintings are eerily similar to Atkinson Grimshaw's (a Yorkshire painter also trained in photography), and have been confused with them. In this dramatic painting, Scarborough's Grand Hotel is visible on the cliff in the far right background.