Idaho firefighters attacked while responding to a blaze near Coeur d’Ale, Gov. Brad Little says

Idaho authorities said a sniper gunned down two firefighters and inflicted an “unknown amount of casualties” during an ambush Sunday as crews battled an ongoing brush fire near Coeur d’Alene in the state’s northern neck.  

Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris said gunshots rained down on fire crews around 2 p.m. MDT by Canfield Mountain, trapping hikers and other civilians amid the blaze first reported about 40 minutes earlier. 

The sheriff confirmed the two slain victims were fire personnel, and said there was a potential for other shooting victims that have yet to be located by law enforcement.    

“We are prepared to neutralize this suspect, who is currently actively shooting safety personnel,” the sheriff said at a press conference around 4:30 p.m. “We don’t know who the suspects are. We don’t know how many there are.”  

Authorities said police were working to suppress the “rapid” gunfire before they could recover the two killed crew members. People came off the mountain while officials were pinned down by the shooting. 

FBI and state authorities are also on scene trying to confront the shooter or shooters who are using “modern day sporting rifles.” 

The sheriff said the potential suspects blended into the wooded surroundings and took aim from multiple vantage points.

“It’s going to be a tough next couple hours … Here’s hoping that somebody has a clear shot and is able to neutralize because they are not, at this point in time, showing any evidence of wanting to surrender,” the sheriff said

Idaho Gov. Brad Little said “multiple heroic firefighters” were attacked during the emergency response.

“This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,” the governor said on X. “I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.”

The fire was still raging Sunday evening as gunshots kept crews at bay. Sheriff Norris said authorities can’t get control of the blaze until the shooting stops.

The Idaho House Republican Leadership said in a statement that it is “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 outskirts of the northern Idaho city, covered with trees and heavy brush and crisscrossed with trails.