Gunman started Idaho blaze and then fatally shot 2 firefighters in ambush attack: officials
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.
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A shelter-in-place order was lifted Sunday night after a tactical response team used cellphone data to 'hone in' on a wooded area where they found the suspect's body with a firearm nearby as flames rapidly approached, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said.
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'We do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,' Norris said at a Sunday night news conference. 'These firefighters did not have a chance.'
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Sheriff's officials said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d'Alene around 1:30 p.m., and gunshots were reported about a half hour later.
'We believe that was the only shooter that was on that mountain at that time,' Norris said.
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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 'fighting for his life' after surgery and was in stable condition, Norris said.
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The scene was sheer pandemonium as the brush fire burned and firefighters rushed to the scene only to come under heavy fire.
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First responders made urgent calls for help on their radios: 'Everybody's shot up here … send law enforcement now,' according to one dispatch.
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Gov. Brad Little said 'multiple' firefighting personnel were attacked.
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'This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,' Little said on X. 'I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.'
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Just as the evening press 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.
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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'Alene.
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