{"id":8512,"date":"2025-06-30T18:32:59","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T00:32:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/?p=8512"},"modified":"2025-06-30T18:32:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T00:32:59","slug":"gunman-sparks-idaho-wildfire-kills-2-firefighters-wounds-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/2025\/06\/30\/gunman-sparks-idaho-wildfire-kills-2-firefighters-wounds-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Gunman Sparks Idaho Wildfire, Kills 2 Firefighters, Wounds 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tragedy in Idaho: Firefighter Ambush<\/h1>\n

BOISE, Idaho \u2014 A man armed with a rifle started a wildfire Sunday and then began shooting at first responders in a northern Idaho mountain community, killing two firefighters and wounding a third during a barrage of gunfire over several hours, authorities said.<\/p>\n

A shelter-in-place order was lifted Sunday night after a tactical response team used cell phone data to \u201chone in\u201d on a wooded area where they found the suspect\u2019s body with a firearm nearby as flames rapidly approached, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said.<\/p>\n

Officials did not release his name, nor did they say what kind of gun was found.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,\u201d Norris said at a Sunday night news conference. \u201cThese firefighters did not have a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Incident Unfolds<\/h2>\n

Sheriff\u2019s officials said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d\u2019Alene around 1:30 p.m., and gunshots were reported about a half hour later.<\/p>\n

Investigators said the gunman acted alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe believe that was the only shooter that was on that mountain at that time,\u201d Norris said.<\/p>\n

Three victims were brought to Kootenai Health, said hospital spokesperson Kim Anderson. Two were dead on arrival and the third was being treated for injuries, Anderson said. The wounded firefighter was \u201cfighting for his life\u201d after surgery and was in stable condition, Norris said.<\/p>\n

Eyewitness Accounts and Response<\/h3>\n

The scene was sheer pandemonium as the brush fire burned and firefighters rushed to the scene only to come under heavy fire.<\/p>\n

A procession from Kootenai Health headed to Spokane after a few firefighters were killed Sunday, June 29, 2025, when they were ambushed by sniper fire while responding to a blaze in a northern Idaho mountain community, in Coeur d\u2019Alene, Idaho.(Bill Buley \/ Coeur D’Alene Press)<\/span><\/p>\n

First responders made urgent calls for help on their radios: \u201cEverybody\u2019s shot up here … send law enforcement now,\u201d according to one dispatch.<\/p>\n

Gov. Brad Little said \u201cmultiple\u201d firefighting personnel were attacked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,\u201d Little said on X. \u201cI ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Investigation and Aftermath<\/h4>\n

Norris said it appeared the sniper was hiding in the rugged terrain and using a high-powered rifle. He said he instructed deputies to fire back.<\/p>\n

Just as the evening news conference was expected to begin, the bodies of the slain firefighters arrived in the nearby city of Spokane, Washington, escorted by a procession of fire and law enforcement vehicles. Firefighters and others saluted as the vehicles passed by.<\/p>\n

\"AA procession from Kootenai Health headed to Spokane after a few firefighters were killed Sunday, June 29, 2025, when they were ambushed by sniper fire while responding to a blaze in a northern Idaho mountain community, in Coeur d\u2019Alene, Idaho.(Bill Buley \/ Coeur D’Alene Press)<\/span><\/p>\n

An alert by the Kootenai County Emergency Management Office asked people to avoid the area around Canfield Mountain Trailhead and Nettleton Gulch Road, about 4 miles (6.5 km) north of downtown Coeur d\u2019Alene.<\/p>\n

Though the shelter-in-place order was lifted, the sheriff\u2019s office cautioned residents to be prepared because the fire was still burning.<\/p>\n

Community Response<\/h5>\n

The FBI responded to the scene with technical teams and tactical support, Deputy Director Dan Bongino said.<\/p>\n

The Idaho House Republican Leadership said in a statement: \u201cWe are horrified by the murder of two firefighters in Coeur d\u2019Alene, and shocked by such a vicious attack on our first responders. We are praying for them, the injured, their families and their colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fire is always a big concern for the region, said Bruce Deming, whose property abuts the trail system. When he noticed smoke on the ridge Sunday afternoon, he wondered why no firefighting helicopters were responding.<\/p>\n

When a friend texted to tell him about the shooting, he realized why he wasn\u2019t seeing aircraft: \u201cBecause they\u2019re concerned about being shot at,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As deputies set up posts nearby, Deming pointed them to a trail that starts near his backdoor and leads directly to the site of the fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just don\u2019t want to have to wake up in the middle of the night to figure if somebody\u2019s out prowling around my place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h6>\n

The tragic events that unfolded in Idaho serve as a reminder of the dangers faced by first responders and the importance of community support.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tragedy in Idaho: Firefighter Ambush BOISE, Idaho \u2014 A man armed with a rifle started a wildfire Sunday and then began shooting at first responders in a northern Idaho mountain community, killing two firefighters and wounding a third during a barrage of gunfire over several hours, authorities said. A shelter-in-place order was lifted Sunday night […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":8513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8512","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/WJH6P76QTREQHHZEAG4DEX5WAY.jpg?auth=e22942f48461449fee36fed0bdde5e421436657013886c9d33d30ff90c936cd5&height=630&width=1200&smart=true&quality=80","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8512"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8512"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8514,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8512\/revisions\/8514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}