What started as a routine wildfire response turned into a nightmare in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Two firefighters were killed and a third seriously injured in what officials are calling a “total ambush.”
Responders were battling a blaze on Canfield Mountain Sunday afternoon when gunfire erupted—sniper-style.
“These firefighters didn’t have a chance,” said Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris.
He added that the gunman is believed to have started the fire as bait.
The terrifying attack lasted for hours.
More than 300 officers swarmed the area, helicopters circled with snipers onboard, and drones searched through thick smoke.
Who Is The Suspect?
The gunman was eventually found dead near the scene, but it’s still unclear if he was shot by police or took his own life.
Fire chief Pat Riley called it “heartbreaking.”
Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, condemned the “heinous act of violence.”
Locals are reeling. “This has never happened here,” said 80-year-old Linda Tiger, a longtime Coeur d’Alene resident.
“It shows no one is safe from this kind of mental sadness.”
Authorities are still piecing together a motive and recovering weapons.
But one thing is clear: this wasn’t just a wildfire—it was a calculated attack on the very people who risk their lives to save others.
