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125 years ago in 1899, transcribed as originally published in the Youngstown Vindicator:
Fire again visited the business portion of the city last night and before the blaze was under control almost $10,000 worth of property was destroyed.
The scene of last night's fire was the old Y.M.C.A. gymnasium building located in an extension of Dutton alley and directly in the rear of the Davis block. The building was owned by Attorney M. A. Norris and was occupied by Dr. S. E. Dyball as a chewing gum factory. The building was a two story and a half frame structure and it proved an easy mark for the flames.
After the hard work of the past few days the fire laddies at Central station were preparing to turn into bed at 11 o'clock, city time, last night. Their quarters were warm and comfortable and just outside the door on Hazel street the mercury in the thermometer showed at 18 degrees below zero. There was no disposition on the part of the fire boys to leave their quarters under these conditions, and many of them so remarked as they tumbled into bed. At the hour named Fireman Christ Weick was getting ready to retire, when, looking out the window from the rear of the building he saw a blaze in the Dyball factory. He at once sounded the alarm and the fire boys who had not as yet got thoroughly comfortable in bed, turned out and dressed hastily and were once again fighting the fire fiend against heavy odds.
The blaze burned rapidly and with the character of goods in the interior of the building it proved rather an easy mark for the flames. While considerable difficulty was experienced with the plugs on the hydrants, it was nothing more than could be expected with the weather conditions as they were. Four good streams were soon being thrown on the burning building, but the most that could be done was to prevent the fire from spreading to adjoining buildings. In this work the firemen were successful. Those who were present at the fire state that the efforts of the firemen are worthy of the highest praise. The weather was such that the water scarcely struck the building before it was a mass of ice, and the firemen's clothing from top to toe was covered with ice. The fighting of the fire was a six hours' job. The alarm was sounded at 11 p.m. and it was exactly 5 a.m. when they returned to the house. (Aspirants for positions on the department will do well to note this fact.) The fire proved a particularly stubborn one to fight owing to the fact that the ingredients that enter into the manufacture of chewing gum proved fine fuel for the flames.
Families residing on West Boardman street in close proximity to the burning building had quite a scare. Christ Weick, Jr. moved a portion of his furniture out and S. J. Goldner and Emerson Whealand were fearful for a time, but they soon became reassured for the excellent work of the firemen began to tell and it was shortly apparent that they would be able to confine the fire to the gum factory.
Compiled from the Youngstown Vindicator by Chelsea Hess, Mahoning Valley Historical Society archives assistant.