At least two people have been shot dead after firefighters responding to a blaze in North Idaho were ambushed by gunfire on Sunday, police confirmed.
Police in Kootenai County are currently unaware of how many potential suspects are firing shots or how many people have been injured at the active crime scene. In a press conference, Sheriff Robert Norris said they were currently in an active threat situation and were taking shots as they spoke. Police confirmed two people were dead, and are believed to be firefighters.
There may also be more casualties, Norris warned.
“This is a very, very fresh situation, we are actively taking sniper fire as we speak,” Norris said.
“It’s gonna be a tough next couple hours,” Norris added in a Sunday afternoon press conference. “I’m hoping that somebody has a clear shot and is able to neutralize, because they are not, at this point in time, showing any evidence of wanting to surrender. So as soon as somebody has a clear shot, I encourage them to take that shot and neutralize the threat.”
He added: “We are prepared to neutralize this suspect as quickly as possible.”
FBI assets are headed to the scene in Coeur d’Alene to provide tactical and operational support. It is an active scene.
— Dan Bongino (@FBIDDBongino) June 29, 2025
Norris said they had no information about any police officers being shot at this stage.
The firefighters were ambushed while they were responding to a brush fire that broke out on Canfield Mountain in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Norris said the mountain remains “not clear” and the fire is also still alight. “It’s gonna keep burning because we can’t put a lot of resources on there right now.”
He said the area is covered in “heavy brush, so they’re blending in with their surroundings.” Norris said the suspect or suspects were using “high-powered, modern day” sporting rifles.
“I suspect we’ll have people coming forward that maybe are stuck up there that drove themselves to the hospital,” Norris said.
“I would encourage people to stay away from the area, to not come to the area, stay away from the area. This is going to be, if these individuals are not neutralized quickly, this is going to be a likely a multi day operation.”
He added, “We’re developing a plan to suppress these individuals.”
He said both local and federal authorities are on the scene and the suspect is “currently actively shooting at public safety personnel.” FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino confirmed the FBI were headed to the scene in Coeur d’Alene.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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