Summary

The Branch Davidians are a breakaway sect of the Seventh Day Adventists. The siege began on February 28th, 1993 as a result of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) failed attempt at a dynamic entry to raid Mount Carmel for suspected possession of illegal firearms. Six Branch Davidians and four ATF agents were shot to death in the initial raid, at which point the FBI intervened, initiating what would become a 51-day siege of Mount Carmel. During this time, FBI negotiators managed to secure the release of 44 people, including 35 children. On the morning of April 19th 1993, the FBI inserted incendiary tear gas cannisters into the building. At noon, as tear gas continued to be inserted into the building, a fire broke out. The source of the fire remains a topic of public dispute, with those inside claiming the fire ignited as a result of the tear gas, and the federal government claiming those inside Mount Carmel purposely set the fire in a mass-suicide attempt. Nine people, including Thibodeau, managed to escape the burning building. The remaining 85, including 25 children, died inside. Thibodeau is one of only four survivors who was not sentenced to prison time after making it out of the blaze.