KOOTENAI COUNTY, Idaho — According to officials, two individuals lost their lives when firefighters were attacked by a shooter while attending to a brush fire in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris said during a press briefing that the number of others injured in the attack is unknown.
Civillians are currently coming down off the mountain and could be stuck amid the blaze, Norris said. .
The incident unfolded at approximately 1:30 p.m. local time after a small but growing brush fire broke out on Canfield Mountain Sunday afternoon.
When fire personnel responded to the blaze about half an hour later, they started getting shot at by an unknown person in the woods, officials said.
Authorities are looking into the possibility that the fire was started deliberately to draw emergency personnel to the location, Lt. Jeff Howard of the Kootenai County Sheriff’s department informed ABC News.
The manhunt for the suspect is still in progress, law enforcement officials involved in the case revealed to ABC News. A police helicopter is surveying the region from above in an effort to track down the suspect, according to officials.
Landing the chopper to assist on the ground is made more difficult in the mountainous terrain because the shooter is still at large, officials added.
The scene is considered an active shooter situation and a shelter-in-place order has been issued for Canfield Mountain Trailhead and the surrounding area.
The FBI is assisting authorities in Kootenai County, an agency spokesperson told ABC News.
Idaho Gov. Brad Little called the incident a “heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters.”
“Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho,” Little wrote in a post on X. “I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more,” he added.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been briefed on the shooting, a DHS official told ABC News.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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