Two firefighters have been killed and another wounded after being ambushed by sniper fire while responding to a blaze in a northern Idaho mountain community.
Fire crews endured a barrage of gunfire over several hours that Governor Brad Little called a “heinous” assault.
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“This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,” Little said on X. “I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.”
The gunman, whom officials believe acted alone, began shooting after crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain, a nature zone popular with hikers near Coeur d’Alene, about 420 kilometres east of Seattle.
“We do believe that the suspect started the fire,” Sheriff Robert Norris of Kootenai County said.
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“This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance.
“We did lose a Coeur d’Alene firefighter and we did lose a firefighter from the Kootenai County Fire and Rescue.”
A third was “fighting for his life, but is in stable condition”.
The perpetrator was in a spot “with heavy brush and they are well prepared and blending in with their surroundings”, Norris added.
The fire, dubbed the Nettleton Gulch Fire, was believed to have been started by the perpetrator. It continued to burn and grew to 26 acres on Monday, from 15 to 20 acres on Sunday evening, according to the
Idaho Department of Lands
.
A shelter-in-place order was lifted on Sunday night after a tactical response team discovered the body of a man with a firearm nearby, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said.
However, the sheriff’s office cautioned residents to be prepared because the fire was still burning.
Law enforcement is investigating whether the fire could have been intentionally set in order to lure first responders to the scene.
Officials said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain, just north of Coeur d’Alene, at around 1.30pm (9.30pm BST), and gunshots were reported about half an hour later.
First responders made urgent calls for help on their radios, saying: “Everybody’s shot up here … send law enforcement now,” according to one dispatch.
More than 300 law enforcement officers from the city, county, state and federal levels responded to the shooting, including two helicopters with snipers on board.
The FBI responded to the scene with technical teams and tactical support, Deputy Director Dan Bongino said.
The Idaho House Republican Leadership said in a statement: “We are horrified by the murder of two firefighters in Coeur d’Alene, and shocked by such a vicious attack on our first responders. We are praying for them, the injured, their families and their colleagues.”
Coeur d’Alene is a city of 55,000 residents near the border with Washington. Canfield Mountain is a popular hiking and biking area on the city’s outskirts, covered with trees and heavy brush and crisscrossed with trails that lead into a national forest.
