At least two people have been killed after someone opened fire on firefighters responding to a wildfire in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on Sunday, local law enforcement officials said.
Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris said at a news conference that first responders were “actively taking sniper fire as we speak.”
“We still have civilians that are coming off of that mountain. We might have civilians that are stuck or in shock on that mountain, so this is a very, very fresh situation,” Norris said, adding, “We are prepared to neutralize this suspect who is currently actively shooting at public safety personnel. We are prepared to neutralize this suspect as quickly as possible.”
Mark Lathrop / AP
Both people who were killed are believed to be fire personnel, Norris said. Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene told CBS News three people were brought to the hospital; two were dead on arrival and a third was being treated as of Sunday night. Details on the living person’s condition were not provided and none of the three were identified.
It’s not clear how many shooters there were, the sheriff said, and noted if they aren’t stopped soon, “this is likely to be a multiday operation.”
“It appears that modern-day sporting rifles are being used. It appears that high-powered rifles are being used,” he said.Â
Helicopters with heat-seeking technology are flying over the area trying to locate the shooter or shooters, according to a law enforcement source. But they are having trouble due to a combination of smoke from the wildfire and the presence of hikers and others on the mountain who had been ordered to shelter in place and are also being detected by the technology, the source told CBS News.
Local emergency officials declared a no-fly zone in the area, which applies to drones, noting they “pose a serious risk to firefighting and law enforcement operations.”
The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that shots were fired about half an hour after firefighters responded to a fire on Canfield Mountain.Â
Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office and Kootenai County Emergency Management said on social media that residents should shelter in place as the shooter was still at large. The wildfire was still burning as of 4:30 p.m. local time.
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said the FBI was on the way to provide “tactical and operational support.”
Bruce Deming / AP
“This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,” Idaho Gov. Brad Little said on social media. “I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more. Teresa and I are heartbroken. As this situation is still developing, please stay clear from the area to allow law enforcement and firefighters to do their jobs.”
Coeur d’Alene is close to the Idaho-Washington border and about 30 miles from Spokane, Washington.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Pat Milton
contributed to this report.
