2 killed in sniper ambush as Idaho firefighters come under siege from rifle fire
Firefighters were ambushed by sniper fire while responding to a blaze in a northern Idaho mountain population Sunday 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 mentioned crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d Alene around p m and gunshots were released about a half hour later Sheriff Bob Norris explained representatives believe the two people killed were fire personnel He didn t know if anyone else was shot We don t know how countless defendants are up there and we don t know how a great number of casualties there are Norris notified reporters at a p m news conference We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak People are still coming off the mountain the sheriff noted so it would be safe to assume that others were still up there Gov Brad Little explained multiple firefighters were attacked This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters Little declared on the social platform X I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more Norris revealed it appeared the sniper was hiding in the rugged terrain and using a high-powered rifle He noted he instructed deputies to fire back I m hoping that somebody has a clear shot and is able to neutralize because they re not at this point in time showing any evidence of wanting to surrender the sheriff explained An alert by the Kootenai County Crisis Management Office urged people to avoid the area around Canfield Mountain Trailhead and Nettleton Gulch Road about miles km north of downtown Coeur d Alene The fire was still evolving Norris explained It s going to keep burning he explained Can t put any guidance on it right now Coeur d Alene is a city of residents near the confines 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 Source
