A man set a fire on a mountain in northern Idaho — then waited to open fire on firefighters who rushed to stop it, killing two and wounding another in what officials are calling a calculated ambush.
“This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance,” Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said Sunday night.
Authorities say the man believed responsible was later found dead on the mountain with a weapon nearby. Investigators believe he acted alone.
“We do believe the suspect started the fire, it was an ambush and it was totally intentional,” Norris said. “Based on the preliminary investigation, we believe that is the only shooter on the mountain at that time. There is no threat to the community at this time.”
How It Unfolded
Officials laid out the timeline:
1:21 p.m. — Reports of a wildfire come in from Canfield Mountain.
2:00 p.m. — Firefighters report they’re being shot at.
3:15 p.m. — Investigators track a live cell phone signal on the mountain.
Around 4:45 p.m. — Authorities find a body near the signal location.
Sheriff Norris said the person found dead is believed to be the shooter. The identity has not been released. He didn’t say if the man took his own life, but confirmed a weapon was found nearby.
“We believe that there was only 1 shooter, based on weapons found, type of injuries incurred from that weapon,” he said.
Norris also said the person who made the 911 call about the fire is not believed to be the gunman.
Authorities say the suspect moved during the attack, shooting as he ran. Firefighters, who are trained to battle flames — not bullets — were completely unprepared.
“This is a situation where a lot of people in this room haven’t processed this,” Norris said at the press conference.
Idaho Governor Brad Little called the attack “heinous” and posted on X: “Firefighters were attacked while responding to a fire in North Idaho. This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters.”
Officials say the investigation will continue Monday. More weapons may be found as they search the mountain, but parts of the crime scene were destroyed in the blaze.
“We had to do what we had to do to preserve the body,” Norris said.
For now, the sheriff says the danger has passed. But the shock remains — a deadly setup on a mountain, with first responders as the target.
