Firemens were ambushed by sniper fire while reacting to a blaze in a northern Idaho mountain community Sunday, killing a minimum of two individuals and unleashing barrages of gunfire over numerous hours in an attack the governor called an abhorrent assault.The Kootenai County Sheriffs Office stated crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur dAlene around 1:30 p.m., and gunshots were reported about a half hour later.Sheriff Bob Norris stated officials think the two people killed were fire personnel.
He didnt understand if anybody else was shot.We do not understand the number of suspects are up there, and we do not know the number of casualties there are, Norris informed reporters at a 4:30 p.m.
news conference.
We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak.People are still coming off the mountain, the sheriff stated, so it would be safe to assume that others were still up there.Gov.
Brad Little said multiple firemens were attacked.This is an abhorrent direct attack on our brave firefighters, Little said on the social platform X.
I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their households as we wait to discover more.Norris said it appeared the sniper was concealing in the rugged terrain and utilizing a high-powered rifle.
He stated he advised deputies to fire back.Im hoping that somebody has a clear shot and has the ability to reduce the effects of, because theyre not at this point in time revealing any proof of wishing to give up, the sheriff said.An alert by the Kootenai County Emergency Management Office asked people to prevent the location around Canfield Mountain Trailhead and Nettleton Gulch Road, about 4 miles (6.5 km) north of downtown Coeur dAlene.The fire was still active, Norris said.Its going to keep burning, he said.
Cant put any resources on it best now.Coeur dAlene is a city of 55,000 residents near the border with Washington.
Canfield Mountain is a popular hiking and cycling area on the outskirts of the northern Idaho city, covered with trees and heavy brush and crisscrossed with trails.Source: AP-- Agencies