A sniper ambushed firefighters responding to a blaze in an Idaho mountain community on Sunday, according to local law enforcement killing at least two people and unleashing barrages of gunfire over several hours in an attack the governor called a “heinous” assault.
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain about 1.30 pm and gunshots were reported about a half hour later.
Sheriff Bob Norris told reporters 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 said. “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 are still up there.
The state’s governor Brad Little said “multiple” firefighters were attacked.
“Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho,” Little wrote on Facebook. “This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters. I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.”
A large number of law enforcement vehicles flooded the area, including US marshals, according to a photograph posted on social media by the news director of the local broadcaster KXLY.
The same outlet reported that hundreds of law enforcement and fire personnel had established a command post in Cherry Hill dog park.
The sheriff’s office in neighbouring Soshone County said on Facebook that authorities were “dealing with an active shooter situation where the shooter is still at large.”
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.
