Two people, believed to be firefighters, were fatally shot and others injured while responding to a brush fire in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, according to CNN, citing Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris. At least one active shooter continued firing at law enforcement with high-powered rifles during the incident.
“We don’t know if there’s one, two, three or four” shooters, Norris said. Officers reported gunfire from multiple directions.
“We will neutralise this threat,” CNN quoted Sheriff Norris as saying.
According to audio from Kootenai County Fire and EMS via Broadcastify, a responding firefighter suggested the fire may have been intentionally set to lure first responders into an ambush.
The wildfire, which began as a half-acre blaze, remains active while police continue efforts to stop what Sheriff Norris described as “rapid fire” shooting.
“This is going to likely be a multiday operation,” Norris stated. “It’s going to be a tough next couple hours. I’m hoping that somebody has a clear shot and is able to neutralise because they are not, at this point in time, showing any evidence of wanting to surrender.”
Multiple agencies are engaged in the response. The FBI has also dispatched personnel “to provide tactical and operational support”, according to Deputy Director Dan Bongino in a post on X.
The Kootenai County Emergency Management issued a shelter-in-place order for the area and urged the public to avoid the region.
Late Sunday night, a SWAT team discovered a deceased man near a gun on Canfield Mountain, leading to the lifting of the shelter-in-place order. The development came following reports of an apparent ambush that killed two firefighters. A third firefighter remains in surgery, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters.
The fire the responders were battling is still burning, and residents have been advised to remain on alert “should further action need to be taken.”
Authorities are expected to provide further updates during a 12:30 PM (local time) press briefing.