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Two firefighters were killed after 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.
The Kootenai County sheriff’s office said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain about 1.30pm and gunshots were reported about a half hour later.
Sheriff Bob Norris said officials didn’t know if anyone else was shot.
“We don’t know how many suspects are up there and we don’t know how many casualties there are,” Norris told reporters. “We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak.”
People were still coming off the mountain, the sheriff said, so it “would be safe to assume” that others were still up there.
The state’s governor, Brad Little, said “multiple heroic firefighters” were attacked while responding to the fire.
“This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,” he wrote on Facebook. “I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.”
A large number of law enforcement vehicles flooded the area, including US marshals, according to a photograph posted on social media by the news director of the local broadcaster KXLY.
The same outlet reported that hundreds of law enforcement and fire personnel had established a command post in Cherry Hill dog park.
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 neutralise, because they’re not at this point in time showing any evidence of wanting to surrender,” the sheriff said.
The sheriff’s office in neighbouring Soshone County said on Facebook that authorities were “dealing with an active shooter situation where the shooter is still at large”.
The fire was still active, Norris said. “It’s going to keep burning. Can’t put any resources on it right now.”
The FBI responded to the scene with technical teams and tactical support, deputy director Dan Bongino said.
“It remains an active, and very dangerous scene,” he wrote in a post on X.
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 outskirts of the northern Idaho city, covered with trees and heavy brush and crisscrossed with trails.
