Ellicott City Line of Duty Deaths

On Christmas Eve 1953 two Howard County police Officers were on patrol when they noticed smoke coming from the home of William Jacob located at 4020 Old Columbia Pike.Units from Ellicott City and surrounding stations were dispatched to the fire scene. The fire was being brought under control when the water supply system failed and the units were force to shuttle water from a hydrant on Main Street.

By 3:45 am on Christmas day the fire was out, the large 18 room home had been reduced to a mere shell. As crews began cleaning up their equipment the chimney suddenly collapsed without warning burying four Ellicott City firemen. Charles Ash and Charles Massey were severely injured but survived the collapse, Charles Ditch and Joseph Stigler suffered fatal injuries.

Charles Ditch was forty-four years old at the time of his death. He joined the department in June 1931 and rose the rank of Captain. He left behind a wife and young daughter.

Joseph Stigler was thirty-four years old when he died in the line of duty. He joined the department in December 1937 and rose to the rank of Lieutenant. Lt. Stigler left behind a wife and three small children including his Joseph who was born a few days after his father was killed.

An excerpt from the Ellicott City Times, December 1953

“The truth for you is in the true meaning of the volunteer fire service, stripped of all the glamour, screaming sirens and flashing red lights, it means that being a volunteer fireman also means you may lay down your life or that your life may be snatched from you by a rain of bricks from a chimney weakened by the collapse of a house. With all modern trappings which science has applied to firefighting, it still takes men with raw language – guts, to come to grips with the blaze and extinguish it. And it takes … a special kind of enthusiasm to be a volunteer fireman … The men who fell victim to the staggering pile of bricks on Christmas morning were that breed. They and all like them, are a special kind of citizenry who put their lives on the line whenever the fire siren sounds”.     

                  Charles Ditch                                                     Joseph Stigler