Idaho [US], June 30 (ANI): Two firefighters were fatally shot and others injured while responding to a brush fire in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in what authorities believe may have been an ambush. At least one active shooter continued firing on law enforcement with high-powered rifles, according to Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris, CNN reported.
“We don’t know if there’s one, two, three, or four” shooters, Norris said, noting that officers reported bullets coming from multiple directions. “We will neutralize this threat,” he added.
Audio from Kootenai County Fire and EMS, shared via Broadcastify, captured a firefighter speculating that the fire may have been deliberately set to lure first responders to the scene.
The brush fire, which began as a half-acre blaze, remains active as police work to contain what Sheriff Norris called “rapid fire” gunfire.
“This is going to likely be a multiday operation,” Norris stated. “It’s going to be a tough next couple of hours. I’m hoping that somebody has a clear shot and is able to neutralize [the shooter], because they are not, at this point in time, showing any evidence of wanting to surrender.”
Multiple law enforcement agencies are responding to the scene, and the FBI has dispatched resources “to provide tactical and operational support,” Deputy Director Dan Bongino said on X.
Kootenai County Emergency Management urged residents in the vicinity to shelter in place and advised others to avoid the area.
On Sunday night, a SWAT team discovered a deceased man near a firearm on Canfield Mountain. Following the discovery, the shelter-in-place order was lifted. Officials believe the man’s death may be connected to the earlier ambush, in which two firefighters were killed while responding to a wildfire.
According to the International Association of Fire Fighters, a third firefighter remains in surgery.
The sheriff’s office said the wildfire at the Canfield Mountain Natural Area is still burning as of Sunday night and advised residents to remain alert in case further action becomes necessary.
More details are expected to be released at a 12:30 p.m. (local time) press conference, the sheriff’s office said.
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