A man wielding a rifle initiated a wildfire on Sunday and subsequently fired upon emergency responders in a mountain community in northern Idaho, resulting in the deaths of two firefighters and the injuring of a third amidst several hours of gunfire, officials stated.
The shelter-in-place directive was rescinded on Sunday night after a tactical response team utilized cell phone data to zero in on a wooded region where they discovered the suspect’s body, a firearm positioned nearby, as flames rapidly closed in, according to Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris.
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Smoke rises from a fire near Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where responding firefighters were shot on Sunday, June 29, 2025. (C. Jones via AP) -
Law enforcement and emergency responders at Cherry Hill Park off 15th Street on Sunday afternoon, June 29, 2025, following reports of an ambush shooting attack on Canfield Mountain, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. (Bill Buley/Coeur D’Alene Press via AP)
Officials did not release his name, nor did they say what kind of gun was found.
“We believe the suspect set the fire deliberately and intended it as an ambush,” Norris remarked during a Sunday night press briefing. “These firefighters were caught unawares.”
Sheriff’s officials said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d’Alene around 1:30 p.m., and gunshots were reported about a half hour later.
Investigators said the gunman acted alone.
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“We believe that was the only shooter that was on that mountain at that time,” Norris said.
Three victims were brought to Kootenai Health, said hospital spokesperson Kim Anderson. Two were dead on arrival and the third was being treated for injuries, Anderson said. The wounded firefighter was “fighting for his life” after surgery and was in stable condition, Norris said.
The scene was sheer pandemonium as the brush fire burned and firefighters rushed to the scene only to come under heavy fire.
First responders made urgent calls for help on their radios: “Everybody’s shot up here … send law enforcement now,” according to one dispatch.
Gov. Brad Little said “multiple” firefighting personnel were attacked.
“This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,” Little said on 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.
Just as the evening press conference was expected to begin, the bodies of the slain firefighters arrived in the nearby city of Spokane, Washington, escorted by a procession of fire and law enforcement vehicles. Firefighters and others saluted as the vehicles passed by.
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.
Though the shelter-in-place order was lifted, the sheriff’s office cautioned residents to be prepared because the fire was still burning.
The FBI responded to the scene with technical teams and tactical support, Deputy Director Dan Bongino said.
The Idaho House Republican Leadership said in a statement: “We are horrified by the murder of two firefighters in Coeur d’Alene, and shocked by such a vicious attack on our first responders. We are praying for them, the injured, their families and their colleagues.”
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 city’s outskirts, covered with trees and heavy brush and crisscrossed with trails that lead into a national forest.
Fire is always a big concern for the region, said Bruce Deming, whose property abuts the trail system. When he noticed smoke on the ridge Sunday afternoon, he wondered why no firefighting helicopters were responding.
When a friend texted to tell him about the shooting, he realized why he wasn’t seeing aircraft: “Because they’re concerned about being shot at,” he said.
As deputies set up posts nearby, Deming pointed them to a trail that starts near his backdoor and leads directly to the site of the fire.
“I just don’t want to have to wake up in the middle of the night to figure if somebody’s out prowling around my place,” he said.
