Shelter-in-place alert sent to Coeur d’Alene residents after multiple people were shot at while controlling fire
Two firefighters were killed after they were ambushed by sniper fire while responding to a blaze in a northern Idaho mountain community, as crews endured a barrage of gunfire over several hours that the governor called a “heinous” assault.
The Kootenai County sheriff’s office said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain about 1.30pm and gunshots were reported about a half hour later.
Sheriff Bob Norris said officials 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. “We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak.”
People were still coming off the mountain, the sheriff said, so it “would be safe to assume” that others were still up there.
The state’s governor, Brad Little, said “multiple heroic firefighters” were attacked while responding to the fire.
“This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,” he wrote on Facebook. “I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.”
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