This photo was republished in the Waco Tribune, February 27, 2018, heading the article, "25 years later, Waco aims past notoriety that followed Branch Davidian saga."

The Waco Holocaust was doubtlessly one of the biggest media events in American law enforcement history.  Reporters camped in RVs and a tent city at the perimeter of the Mt. Carmel property (ref. Christian Science Monitor, March 15, 1993, "Media Plays Controversial Role In FBI-Cult Standoff in Waco").  The FBI held daily briefings for reporters, such as the one shown above on March 1, 1993.

Recall that, according to the FBI, the purpose of the April 19 tank and gas attack was to force the Davidians to leave their home.  April 19 was the culmination of the 51-day siege — a historic event in the annuls of law enforcement.

Now here's an anomaly: Although we are told that nine Davidians escaped the April 19 fire, there was no contemporaneous photographic evidence of even one such escape.

Eyewitness Accounts of No Survivors

We have dozens of photos of the fire from the ground and the air, but not one includes a Davidian escaping.  Most telling of all, none of the photos show rescuers at ready — no emergency crews, no fire trucks, and no ambulances.  Even when the fire had advanced to where "the entire roof [was] gone" and the chance of survivors was close to zero, the CNN reporters narrating the live coverage (cached) told the viewing audience that no one had seen survivors or fire fighting equipment.

Spokesman Review (Spokane, Washington), April 20, 1993, p. A4 (Click to enlarge cached image.) As told in this contemporaneous coverage, the cameras recorded no survivors. Even worse, they show no firefighting crews, no emergency medical crews and equipment, and no expectation of survivors. The photos show a lifeless building burning with unbelievable ferocity, totally consumed. It was indeed a "holocaust" (Greek for "wholly consumed by fire," usually referring to a burnt sacrifice).

CNN Bonnie:: Well as you can see, the parts of the building have collapsed, the fire has engulfed the vast majority of this compound ... CNN Mike: Bonnie, the entire roof is gone.
CNN Bonnie: The entire roof is gone.  What else can you tell us?  Any sign of fire fighting equipment?
CNN Mike: No. None whatsoever.  There's our shot from — what we refer to as "farm cam."  That's looking from the north side into the compound.  Apparently the north side is not involved yet.  But it appears the rest of the compound is filled with that orange fire and acrid black smoke.
CNN Bonnie: Also, within the past ten days, past week, federal authorities surrounded the compound, very close to the compound, with razor sharp concertina wire to prevent to prevent people from running out.  That may in this case prove to be hazardous.
CNN Mike: Still no sign of anyone coming out, Bonnie.
CNN Bonnie: Mike, the latest figures we have is that there are 95 people inside, of them, 17 below the age of ten, a total of 25 below the age of 18.  Now with us on the phone is a member of the Branch Davidians speaking from prison.  So go ahead.
[1:23] CNN Mike: Is this Brad Branch?
Davidian Brad Branch: Yes.
CNN Bonnie: Mr. Branch, what have you heard about what has happened?  Was this something that was predicted by David, was this a plan?
Davidian Brad Branch: This is a systematic character assassination by the FBI to eliminate all of the crime scene; now they are destroying, now they are finishing off the job right now, they're destroying the crime scene ... America, this is the biggest lie that has ever been put before the American public, ever.  Bill Clinton wants to use a scapegoat like the attorney general ... you know, I don't buy it.
CNN Bonnie: Mr. Branch, was there no plan?  [Telephone connection is apparently terminated.] ... Alright.  Thank you very much, Mr. Branch, for joining us. (CNN interview, 1:21 — 2:06.  Cached)

Those reporters were in communication with those on site and camera operators at the Mt. Carmel Center, and the cameras were covering the site from several angles: the photographic and eyewitness statements are clear: No survivors, no rescuers.

Shortly aftwards in the same video, four SWAT team members were caught on camera near the Center.  They apparently had no fear of snipers inside the Center (as the later press releases alleged) and they were not making any visible effort to rescue the children:

CNN Mike: Let me interrupt you just for a second.  Off to the right side of the screen.  You can see three or four people.  Apparently ... It looks like federal agents out there, beside the building — now whether they have any of the cultists with them   it is hard to tell from this vantage point.  But it appears there is some movement, some people outside of the burning portion of the compound.
CNN Bonnie: You're right.  And they are dressed in black SWAT outfits that are used by the FBI officials.  We now have a closer shot of it.  It is very difficult to see what they are doing.
CNN Mike: And once again.  Let's point out that the pictures are shaky because it is very very windy. (CNN interview, 2:10 — 3:07.  Cached)

Since the FBI withheld firefighting equipment and rescue crews, we must presume that the FBI had no expectation of Davidian survivors—that is, they knew the Davidians inside the building were already dead and beyond help.  The accusation that the Davidians started the fire was a pretense to cover the FBI's own crimes.

Indeed, the media was warned off covering the Waco story that day.  The Waco Tribune-Herald, April 19, 1993, ran a story with this headline: "Day began with eerie feeling, ended with tragedy."  The article states:

"Then, a few minutes before 6 a.m., a trooper warned members of the media camped out about two miles from the compound to 'take cover.  It's coming down.'" (cached)

Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are customarily used to douse forest fires with water.  Many fire brigades have tanker trucks, particularly in rural areas where fire hydrants are not always available.  But, despite the FBI commander's prediction that fire would break out during a gas attack, no appropriate equipment was standing by to fight the fire.

The Waco Tribune-Herald, April 20, 1993 (cached), contained a specious story about firetrucks trying to "fight the fire" and being hit with bullets or perhaps "shell casings."  The experts admitted that none of the trucks were damaged—that is, there was no objective evidence of anyone shooting at the trucks.  As shown below, none of the contemporaneous photographs contain evidence of fire fighting—no trucks or firemen or hoses or arcs of water pumped into the blaze.  A retrospective araticle published by The Dallas Morning News on October 9, 1993 stated that in early April, an official had anticipated a fire and warned the FBI.  Another retrospective article published on February 27, 2018 stated that the FBI fully expected that the Center might catch fire; and if it did, the FBI fully intended to let it burn to the ground.

"In a phone message to FBI headquarters, Waco tactical commanders say they won't try to fight fires that break out if there is a gas assault."  [The Dallas Morning News, Feb 27, 2018 (cached)

The Dallas Morning News archives does not indicate those statements were published at the time. 

The flaming Mt. Carmel Center was as lifeless as a funeral pyre.  And the objective evidence indicates that it was exactly that: An empty ruin with nothing but corpses of Branch Davidian men, women, and children.

Photographic Evidence of No Survivors

Click on an image to enlarge.  (As of 2023, some source pages no longer exist.)

. "Survivors of 1993 Waco siege describe what happened in fire that ended the 51-day standoff." ABC News, Jan 3-4, 2018	. "Debates Still Rage 25 Years Later Over Who's to Blame for the Waco Siege." In Touch Weekly, Jan 6, 2018.
. This photo was found on Wikimedia, which credited the photograph to the FBI.  A reliable source has not been found.	. "Black Monday: More than 80 feared dead in compound blaze." Waco Herald-Tribune, Apr 20, 1993
. "Survivors of 1993 Waco siege describe what happened in fire that ended the 51-day standoff." ABC News, Jan 3, 2018	. "What Really Happened at Waco." CBS News, Jan 25, 2000
. "Waco siege|History, Leader, and Facts." Britannica	. "10 Things You May Not Know About Waco." PBS, Feb 28, 2018
. "Waco and Ruby Ridge: the 1990s standoffs haunting the Oregon takeover, explained." Vox, Jan 5, 2016	. "The Real Story Behind the Waco Siege: Who Were David Koresh and the Branch Davidians?" Time, January 24, 2018; also CNN, August 7, 2013.
. "Waco siege 20 years on: the survivor's tale," The Telegraph, 19 April, 2013.	. "I've kept my story secret for the last 25 years -- I didn't want to take this to my grave" CBS News, Last Updated Apr 14, 2018 10:00 PM EDT.
. "Waco siege survivor describes escape from fiery compound," CBS News, (undated)	. "1993 siege at Branch Davidian compound," Austin American-Statesman, (undated)
. "The Standoff in Waco," The Texas Observer, April 18, 2013,	. "25 years later: Photos from the tragedy at Waco," Waco Tribune-Herald, April 20, 2018
. "25 years later: Photos from the tragedy at Waco," Waco Tribune-Herald, April 20, 2018	. "25 years later: Photos from the tragedy at Waco," Waco Tribune-Herald, April 20, 2018
. "25 years later: Photos from the tragedy at Waco," Waco Tribune-Herald, April 20, 2018	. "25 years later: Photos from the tragedy at Waco," Waco Tribune-Herald, April 20, 2018
. "25 years later: Photos from the tragedy at Waco," Waco Tribune-Herald, April 20, 2018	. "Survivors of 1993 Waco siege describe what happened in fire that ended the 51-day standoff." ABC News, Jan 3-4, 2018
. "5 Davidians' Jail Terms Reduced," CBS News, June 5, 2000.	. "British survivor of Waco cult STILL believes in coming apocalypse and recalls 1993 siege that left 86 dead," Mirror, 28 Feb 2018
. "Flashback: Waco Cult Showdown Ends in Disaster."  Photo republished in Rolling Stone, Jan 4, 2018	. "Photos from the archives: The siege at the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco," Austin American-Statesman, (no date)
. "Photos from the archives: The siege at the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco," Austin American-Statesman, (no date)	. "Photos from the archives: The siege at the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco," Austin American-Statesman, (no date)
. "Photos from the archives: The siege at the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco," Austin American-Statesman, (no date)	. "Photos from the archives: The siege at the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco," Austin American-Statesman, (no date)
. "FBI photo of the Mount Carmel Center engulfed in flames. Fire spreads rapidly to other second floor bedrooms. Federal Bureau of investigation - Branch Davidian investigator shared FBI photos with me." Wikimedia, 24 June 2009	. "Photos from the archives: The siege at the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco," Austin American-Statesman, (no date)
. "Photos from the archives: The siege at the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco," Austin American-Statesman, (no date)	. "Photos from the archives: The siege at the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco," Austin American-Statesman, (no date)
. Waco Trubune-Herald broadsheet, April 19, 1993.`	. "Photos from the archives: The siege at the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco," Austin American-Statesman, (no date)

Rewriting History

The photos above were published contemporaneously in news coverage of the event.  But history is rewritten with time, particularly when the victors are justifying the savagery of their victories.  On February 27, 2018, a full 25 years after the events, The Dallas Morning News published a picture never before seen (cached).

[The Dallas Morning News, February 27, 2018, original caption:] Survivors flee the burning building and approach a FBI Hostage Rescue Team position at the end of the standoff and siege of the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas on April 19, 1993. (FBI)

TWENTY-FIVE (25) years too late!  Twenty-five years after the fact, the Deep State and its media assets finally published this obviously synthetic photo of "Branch Davidians" escaping the April 19, 1993 blaze at the Mt. Carmel Center.

Recall the media circus around the Waco siege (Christian Science Monitor, linked and cited above).  Does anyone imagine a news organization (or the "FBI" as claimed in the caption) snapped this photo but held it back from publication for 25 years?  Where were all the dozens of commercial photographers to capture this most-anticipated event?

There are some serious conceptual problems with this synthetic photograph.  It portrays four people and a dog running from the blazing Mt. Carmel Center, about a quarter mile away.  Clearly, three have their hands up in the air, in a "come out with your hands up" fashion.  If so, who told them to do so?  The picture does not tell the story.

• The figures in the image are not identified, though the identification of people in pictures is an important tradition in news reporting.  After 25 years, their identities should have been long established.
• None of the four are handcuffed, so we know they have not been processed by the agents and soldiers.  From that, we know there are no rescue or processing lines between those figures and the burning Center.
• Since the most prevalent injury from fires is lung damage from smoke inhalation, survivors cannot be expected to walk any distance to reach rescuers.  Survivors may collapse and need immediate attention upon exiting the building.  The distance these "survivors" were expected to travel without help is ludicrous.
• One of the big stories throughout the siege was the fate of the young children inside the Center.  If the Davidians were alive until the last day, the FBI would expect young children and mothers with babies to emerge from the burning building.  Even without smoke inhalation, they might be unable to hike the distance seen in this "photograph."
• Given that armored personnel carriers were already at the site, a bullet-proof first-aid station would be easy to establish close to the burning buildings.  And the alleged Davidian snipers would pose no danger to the rescuers.
• That image, printed in The Dallas Morning News, is credited to the "FBI."  The News boasted its breadth and depth of coverage of the Waco Holocaust: "From the early moments of the Branch Davidian siege until its fiery conclusion, The Dallas Morning News offered readers comprehensive and often exclusive coverage."  Given the extent and dedication of its coverage, isn't it strange that the News did not have its own photographs of Branch Davidians surrendering?  Why would The Dallas Morning News, of all papers, need to obtain this image from the FBI?

  The lack of photographic archives at The Dallas Morning News stands in sharp contrast to the Austin American-Statesman, which was able to produce a dozen photographs of the fire from the Statesman archives (cited in the list of photographs above).

We therefore conclude this picture is synthetic—not genuine.  The image is a fitting summary for the news coverage of the whole event.