Two Firefighters Killed in Idaho Ambush

Two firefighters were killed by gunfire while responding to a brush fire in Coeur d’Alene, a lakeside town in the northwestern US state of Idaho. The local sheriff’s office reported that a shelter-in-place order was lifted on Sunday night after a tactical team found the body of a man with a firearm nearby, believed to be the suspect.

According to Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris, the shooter used high-powered sporting rifles to open rapid fire on first responders. Two firefighters were killed, and a third one came out of surgery and is in a stable condition but “fighting for his life”. Norris told reporters on Sunday that authorities believe the suspect intentionally started the fire as “an ambush”. “We do believe he started it and it was totally intentional what he did,” he added.

Officials said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain in the city at about 1:22pm (20:22 GMT), and gunshots were reported about a half hour later at 2pm (21:00 GMT). More than 300 law enforcement officers and FBI agents responded to the emergency, while police snipers searched the area from helicopters. Authorities located the suspect after detecting mobile phone activity in the area and tracing the signal. There, they discovered a man who appeared to be deceased with a weapon found nearby.

Kootenai County officials said they would not release the names of the two firefighters who died. “Their families will need support,” Sheriff Norris said. “This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,” Idaho Governor Brad Little wrote on Facebook. Officials said the bodies would be transported in a procession to nearby Spokane, Washington, accompanied by a convoy of official vehicles.

One of the firefighters was working with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department; the other served with Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. The community is in shock and mourning, with many expressing their condolences and support for the families of the victims.

The shelter-in-place notice was lifted at 03:50 GMT on Monday. The wildfire on Canfield Mountain scorched approximately 20 acres (81 hectares), Norris said on Sunday, but no structures were lost in the fire, authorities confirmed. At 03:00 GMT, authorities confirmed that the fire was still burning. The area is now considered safe, and the investigation is ongoing.