The deadly fire broke out just after noon on April 19, 1993, after a morning-long tear gas assault by federal agents who were trying to end the 51-day impasse.

The standoff began after a shootout on Feb. 28, 1993 in which four federal agents and three Davidians died. More than 20 other federal agents were injured, some seriously.

Brisk winds fanned the flames, which spread quickly through the
wood-frame structure. Only a handful of Davidians escaped alive.

In March, the US Supreme Court today refused to hear
an appeal questioning the conduct of a judge involved in lawsuits over the FBI’s handling of the siege.

The justices issued no comment in rejecting a pair of appeals from survivors and families of children who died in the fire.

US District Judge Walter Smith of Waco refused to recuse himself from the civil cases, despite what the Davidians called a demonstrated bias against them.

Smith dismissed most of the claims against the federal
government in 1999. He threw out the rest of the case after a trial
in 2000 in which an advisory jury found the government was not
negligent.