Two firefighters were killed and another wounded in northwest Idaho on Sunday when a gunman started a fire and then ambushed the responding firefighters, authorities said.
The third firefighter was stable but “fighting for his life” in the Kootenai Health campus in Coeur d’Alene, about 30 miles east of Spokane, Washington, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said at a news conference.
Details about what was described as a “heinous act” that has shocked the local community were scarce.
“We do believe ... that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,” Norris said. “This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance.”
Norris also said the unidentified suspect was found dead on Canfield Mountain with a gun nearby. Officers exchanged fire with him, although it’s not clear whether police killed him, and no clear motive has been established.
Idaho State Police will investigate the exchange of gunfire, while the local coroner will examine the causes of death.
At 1:21 p.m. Sunday, firefighters were called to a brush fire on Canfield Mountain, near Coeur D’Alene in northwest Idaho. At 2 p.m., firefighters reported that they were under fire. The blaze reportedly grew to about 20 acres overnight.
Kootenai County Fire Chief Chris Way said crews responded to a call for a routine brush fire in an area where they had responded before.
“The crews began a firefight and then started suppressing the fire to make sure it didn’t climb up Canfield Mountain like we’ve done dozens of times in the past, and then, as the sheriff said last night, they were ambushed and they never had a chance,” he said.
Crews took cover behind trees and a fire truck, and some climbed higher on the mountain, Way said.
The mountain is popular for hiking and ATV riding. Way said law enforcement had to assist with getting civilians down safely.
“This is an unimaginable tragedy,” he said.
As a precaution, Way said, police will accompany firefighters on every call in the coming days.
The two slain firefighters, who have not been identified, died on the way to the Kootenai Health campus in Coeur d’Alene, a hospital spokesperson said. One was from the Coeur D’Alene Fire Department, and the other was from Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, authorities said.
Way said the firefighter from the Kootenai department was a 17-year veteran. He remembered him as “a leader in our department” and “somebody who cared about serving the community.”
“That’s what’s so heartbreaking. We’re talking about people that, as they did yesterday, run toward danger every day, and this time it was just unimaginable,” he said.
Bruce Mattare, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners in Kootenai County, said at a news conference that the community lost “two outstanding professionals of the highest quality.”
“June 29, 2025, is a day that we will not forget in this community. It is the day evil showed his face,” he said.
“And I cannot fathom why anyone would commit such a heinous act. This kind of senseless violence is unheard of here,” he added.
Edward A. Kelly, general president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, said on X that the two firefighters were killed by a sniper in what he called a “heinous act of violence.”
Around 300 law enforcement officers, including local and federal forces, were involved in the operation to find the suspect, and a shelter-in-place order was issued amid fears that there may have been a second shooter. That order was lifted when police said there was only one shooter.
Emergency services took part in a procession of vehicles to honor the firefighters who were killed.
