Two people were killed Sunday afternoon when firefighters responding to a brush fire in western Idaho were suddenly ambushed by gunfire, authorities said.
The burst of gunshots – which are still ongoing – erupted around 2 p.m. local time as first responders arrived at the scene of a fire at Canfield Mountain near Coeur d’Alene, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office.
“We’re taking rapid fire,” Sheriff Bob Norris told reporters, explaining that a high-powered rifle is being used in the ongoing attack, with shots being fired from multiple directions on the mountain.
“We don’t know how many casualties there are.”
The two people killed in the shootout are believed to be fire personnel, and several others may be injured, as civilians are still making their way down the mountain, Norris said.
Deputies have not yet determined whether there is a single shooter or multiple suspects involved, but are prepared to “neutralize” the threat as quickly as possible, the sheriff added.
“We don’t know if there’s one, two, three or four [shooters],” Norris said, adding that the fire may have been deliberately set to lure first responders into a trap.
“It’s going to be a tough next couple of hours. I’m hoping that someone has a clear shot and is able to neutralize, because they’re not, at this point in time, showing evidence of wanting to surrender.
“If these individuals aren’t neutralized quickly, this is likely going to be a multi-day operation.”
Meanwhile, the brush fire rages on as authorities have been too busy responding to the shooting to fight the blaze.
“It’s going to keep burning,” Norris said. “Can’t put any resources on it right now.”
The FBI is at the active scene providing tactical and operational support with other state and local agencies, FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little urged the public to avoid the area, as shelter-in-place orders were issued for the Canfield Mountain Trailhead and nearby areas.
“Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho,” Little said in a post on X.
“This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters. I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more. Teresa and I are heartbroken.”
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