[2][5] There is speculation that the fire was started on purpose by arsonists sent by the Spanish empire attempting to undermine Key West citizens' support for Cuban independence.

The fire was started immediately next to the San Carlos Institute, which was the heart of Cuban culture in Key West.

[2] Secondly, the morning after the fire, there was a Spanish ram waiting to take on any unemployed Cuban cigar workers who wanted to return to Cuba.

[6] Thirdly, Havana newspapers reportedly ran an article describing the great fire the day before it actually took place.

Because the blaze occurred in the heart of the island's business district, many cigar factories and sponge warehouses burned down, putting four thousand employees out of work.

On April 4, he publicly requested aid from US Citizens: "A large portion of our city having been swept away by the flames, our industrial occupations entirely ruined, and thousands of our people left in other destitution and distress, we found ourselves compelled to appeal to the benevolence of our country..."[7] The local fire department took measures to better prepare for such a massive fire in the future.