Multiple Firefighters Shot, Killed While Responding to North Idaho Brush Fire; Suspect Found Dead
By Christina Lords, Idaho Capital Sun
Update: This story was last updated at 11:45 p.m. Mountain time on June 29.
Two firefighters have been killed and another is injured after crews in North Idaho responded to emergency calls of a brush fire and a shooter opened fire on their response.
Kootenai Health spokesperson Kim Anderson said three victims were brought to the Coeur d’Alene hospital, the Associated Press reported. Two were dead on arrival and the third is being treated for injuries, Anderson said, according to the AP.
The injured firefighter has been released from surgery, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said at a 9:30 p.m. Pacific time Sunday press conference. Information about his injuries or their extent was not released.
“He is fighting for his life but is in stable condition,” the sheriff said.
The fire was reported around 1:30 p.m. Pacific time Sunday near the east side of Canfield Mountain in Coeur d’Alene. The shooter opened fire around 2:00 p.m., Norris said. The sheriff said he believes the two incidents are related.
“We do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and that it was intentional,” Norris said. “We do believe he started it, and it was totally intentional, what he did.”
At about 8:50 p.m. Sunday, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release that a responding SWAT team located a dead man with a rifle nearby on Canfield Mountain.
A shelter-in-place order from the Kootenai County Emergency Management system has now been lifted, according to the sheriff’s office.
However, the brush fire, named the Nettleton Gulch Fire, is still burning because firefighters had to suspend their response while the shooter was still active.
“There is still an active wildfire on Canfield Mountain,” Kootenai County Emergency Management said in a Sunday night post on Facebook. “Local residents should be prepared and ready in the event that the situation escalates. Please continue to follow official sources for accurate information.”
Fire crews were unable to access the fire until it was deemed safe at around 7:30 p.m., the Idaho Department of Lands said in a press release.
“Crews estimate the fire to be about 15-20 acres, with numerous snags and steep terrain,” the press release says. “Additional resources including aircraft, heavy equipment, water tenders, engines, hand crews and a Type 3 Incident Management Team are on order and anticipated to work the fire tomorrow.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the Department of Lands said in the release.
The Canfield Mountain area has been designated a no-fly zone, “including a strict prohibition on drone use,” the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said in Sunday night press release. “Unauthorized aircraft or drones in the area pose a serious risk to firefighting and law enforcement operations.”
The sheriff urged the public to wait until official information is released by law enforcement to donate to funds to benefit the victims’ families. Scammers have been known to take advantage of tragedies like this and start GoFundMe fundraising campaigns without the consent of the families, he said.
North Idaho shooter opens fire on firefighters responding to emergency call
“The first call was at 1:21 (p.m.) on a fire, and then we started receiving over our radio that the firefighters were receiving shots fired from the mountain,” Norris said.
The responding fire crews, which included three engines, were dispatched from Kootenai County Fire and Rescue and the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department.
One of the firefighters killed was from Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, while the other was from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department. The injured firefighter served the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, Norris said.
“There is a belief that (the shooter) ran and shot, so we don’t know what (evidence) we might be collecting once the fire threat diminishes,” Norris said.
Norris said the suspect’s body was removed from the scene to preserve it due to the threat of the fire.
The sheriff held two press conferences on Sunday: one at 4:30 p.m. Pacific, and one at 9:30 p.m.
“We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak,” Norris said at 4:35 p.m. Pacific time. “This is an active situation. We have multiple agencies that are on scene from local and federal authorities, and we are prepared to neutralize this suspect who is currently, actively shooting at public safety personnel.”
The sheriff said “it appears modern-day sporting rifles are being used” in the attack.
Norris initially said law enforcement was unsure if there is one shooter or multiple attackers, but at the evening press conference, he said the ongoing investigation was pointing to one shooter. At the afternoon conference, he said officers and deputies were reporting from the scene that the shooter was “blending in with their surroundings” and that shots were being fired from what seemed like multiple directions.
“It’s going to be a tough next couple hours. I’m hoping that somebody has a clear shot and is able to neutralize (the shooter),” Norris said at the afternoon press conference. “Because they are not showing at this point in time any evidence that they are wanting to surrender.”
Authorities are unsure whether the shooter was killed by responding officers or if he killed himself with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Norris said. He said an autopsy of the suspect’s body is scheduled in Spokane and would offer more information on how he died.
Multiple local North Idaho, state and federal agencies — an estimated 300 law enforcement officers, some from as far away as Montana — responded to the incident, Norris said.
Dan Bongino, the FBI’s deputy director, said in a post on X said that officials from the FBI had been dispatched “to provide tactical and operational support” to the scene. U.S. Representative Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, reposted the update on his account.
Idaho officials respond to Coeur d’Alene shooting
Kootenai County Commission chairman Bruce Mattare said the shooting was “senseless and tragic beyond words.”
“June 29,2025, is a day that we will not forget in this community,” Mattare said at the evening press conference. “It is the day evil showed its face and we lost two outstanding professionals of the highest quality, and I cannot fathom why anyone would commit such a heinous act.”
The commissioner said this kind of “senseless violence is unheard of here” and does not reflect Coeur d’Alene as a community.
“When you hear how others portray the people who live here on the news, it’s not true,” Mattare said. “What happened here decades ago is not reflective of the fine people who live here today. And I want everyone to know that this is a wonderful place to live, to raise your family and visit.”
He stressed that resources were being provided at the state and federal level to investigate the killings and fire.
“Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho,” Idaho Governor Brad Little said in a post on X. “This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters. I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more. (Idaho first lady) Teresa and I are heartbroken.”
The governor and emergency response officials urged the public to stay away from the area while police secure and process the scene.
“Gut-wrenching news coming from Coeur d’Alene,” Representative Simpson posted on X. “As the situation develops, our thoughts and prayers are with the brave firefighters and all first responders on the scene.”
U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, both R-Idaho, also posted on X that they are monitoring the reports on the incident and are praying for the first responders and their families.
“I am monitoring the horrific reports out of Coeur d’Alene this evening,” Crapo posted. “I urge local residents to follow recommendations of law enforcement. My prayers are with victims and first responders.”
In a statement at 7:00 p.m. Sunday, Idaho House Republican leadership said they were “shocked by such a vicious attack.”
“We are horrified by the murder of two firefighters in Coeur d’Alene, and shocked by such a vicious attack on our first responders. We are praying for them, the injured, their families and their colleagues,” the statement said.
This story was originally published in the Idaho Capital Sun. Idaho Capital Sun is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.