2 killed, 1 wounded in sniper ambush as Idaho firefighters come under siege from rifle fire

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Two firefighters were killed Sunday and another was wounded when they were ambushed by sniper fire while responding to a blaze in a northern Idaho mountain community, as crews endured a barrage of gunfire over several hours that the governor called a “heinous” assault.

A shelter-in-place order was lifted Sunday night after a tactical response team discovered the body of a man with a firearm nearby, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said. Officials did not release his name, nor did they say what kind of gun was found.

Authorities planned a news conference later Sunday to provide more information.

Sheriff’s officials said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d’Alene around 1:30 p.m., and gunshots were reported about a half hour later.

Sheriff Bob Norris earlier said officials weren’t immediately sure how many people were shot and deputies were “actively taking sniper fire as we speak.”

Three victims were brought to Kootenai Health, said hospital spokesperson Kim Anderson. Two were dead on arrival and the third was being treated for injuries, Anderson said. The wounded firefighter’s condition wasn’t known.

The scene was sheer pandemonium as the brush fire burned and firefighters rushed to the scene only to come under heavy fire.

First responders made urgent calls for help on their radios: “Everybody’s shot up here … send law enforcement now,” according to one dispatch.

Gov. Brad Little said “multiple” firefighting personnel were attacked.

“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.”

Norris said it appeared the sniper was hiding in the rugged terrain and using a high-powered rifle. He said he instructed deputies to fire back.

“I’m hoping that somebody has a clear shot and is able to neutralize, because they’re not at this point in time showing any evidence of wanting to surrender,” the sheriff said.

An alert by the Kootenai County Emergency Management Office asked people to avoid the area around Canfield Mountain Trailhead and Nettleton Gulch Road, about 4 miles (6.5 km) north of downtown Coeur d’Alene.

Though the shelter-in-place order was lifted, the sheriff’s office cautioned residents to be prepared because the fire was still burning.

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.

Fire is always a big concern for the region, said Bruce Deming, whose property abuts the trail system. When he noticed smoke on the ridge Sunday afternoon, he wondered why no firefighting helicopters were responding.

When a friend texted to tell him about the shooting, he realized why he wasn’t seeing aircraft: “Because they’re concerned about being shot at,” he said.

As deputies set up posts nearby, Deming pointed them to a trail that starts near his backdoor and leads directly to the site of the fire.

“I just don’t want to have to wake up in the middle of the night to figure if somebody’s out prowling around my place,” he said.

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Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists Mead Gruver in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report.