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From: dhartung@chinet.chi.il.us (Dan Hartung)
Subject: ABC Confirms Two Points of FBI's Version
Message-ID: <C5z16w.MvC@chinet.chi.il.us>
Summary: FBI did call for firetrucks immediately; experts say 3 fire sources
Organization: Chinet - Public Access UNIX
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1993 04:44:55 GMT
Lines: 38


Well, the question of why fire equipment took so long to reach the 
compound has been answered. ABC aired a report including the 911 tapes 
from Monday. The FBI called 911 within 4 minutes of the fire's breakout. 
Unfortunately, dispatch of vehicles outside the Waco city limits 
required approval of a deputy chief, who was not available (literally 
out to lunch?); the 911 operator desperately called around to local 
community volunteer fire departments to get something out there. By 
the time trucks arrived 27 minutes later, the whole complex was aflame 
and it was clearly too little, too late; there were just two pumpers 
and no water supply. The FBI made another call requesting a tank truck, 
but the Waco department apparently depended on hydrants and did not 
have one. Though clearly unwilling to risk firemen's lives in the 
line of fire, it seems they might have done so had there been sufficient 
equipment and water to make a difference.

They even aired a tape of a woman who called Waco 911 from Georgia 
asking if anything was being done. Civic-minded, but probably 
irresponsible; if everyone watching television did that, no local 
calls could get through.

ABC also aired the comments of an independent fire investigator who 
viewed tapes from more than one side of the compound (not just the 
standard "pool shot"), and agreed that the fire a) must have been 
started in at least 3 places, and b) must have had an accelerant 
to spread so fast.

Neither of these is conclusive proof that the Koresh crowd offed 
themselves more than the FBI offed them, but it's a heck of a lot 
stronger proof than some of the "theories" floating around the net.

Score 2 FBI, 0 Branch Davidians. Or is that -89 Branch Davidians?

-- 
 | The Koresh cult standoff is over ... may his victims Recquiescat in Pace |
 |                                                                          |
 |                    (the above is a net.moment of silence)                |
 Daniel A. Hartung  --  dhartung@chinet.chinet.com  --  Ask me about Rotaract
