The Waco siege was a 51-day standoff between the Branch Davidians, a religious cult led by David Koresh, and federal agents that took place between February 28 and April 19, 1993, at the Mount Carmel Center ranch in unincorporated McLennan County, Texas, 13 miles northeast of Waco. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) suspected the Davidians of illegally converting semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic weapons and obtained both an arrest warrant for Koresh and a search warrant for the compound. On February 28, 1993, more than 70 ATF agents raided the complex, and gunfire erupted, though it is uncertain who fired first. During the two-hour battle, four federal agents were killed, and more than a dozen were injured. In addition, six Davidians reportedly died. The siege ended on April 19, 1993, when the religious groups compound near Waco, Texas, was destroyed in a fire. Nearly 80 people were killed, including two dozen children. The cause of the fire is still disputed, with some blaming the Davidians and others blaming the government. The Waco siege has been viewed by some as governmental abuse of authority and has spurred the growth of militias. Timothy McVeigh, who later became the Oklahoma City bomber, showed support for the Branch Davidians and sold anti-government bumper stickers on site.