Shots Fired at Firefighters in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

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The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office reported that emergency teams were called to tackle a fire at Canfield Mountain at around 1:30 p.m., and within thirty minutes, gunfire was also reported.

COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho — In a shocking turn of events, firefighters attending to a blaze in a northern Idaho mountain community were targeted by sniper fire on Sunday. This ambush resulted in the deaths of at least two individuals and kept multiple rounds of gunfire echoing throughout the area for hours. The governor condemned the incident, describing it as a “heinous” act of violence.

According to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office, teams had originally been dispatched to a fire at Canfield Mountain, situated just north of Coeur d’Alene, at approximately 1:30 p.m., with reports of gunfire emerging about thirty minutes afterward.

Sheriff Bob Norris said officials believe the two people killed were fire personnel. He 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 at a 4:30 p.m. news conference. “We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak.”

People are still coming off the mountain, the sheriff said, so it “would be safe to assume” that others were still up there.

Gov. Brad Little said “multiple” firefighters were attacked.

“This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,” Little said on the social platform 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.

The fire was still active, Norris said.

“It’s going to keep burning,” he said. “Can’t put any resources on it right now.”

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.