Two firefighters were shot and killed and one other was seriously injured yesterday (Sun) while responding to a brush fire near Hayden in North Idaho.
The fire was reported at around 1:20 p.m. and Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris says around 2 p.m., firefighters responding to the blaze reported being shot at by a gunman. Two firefighters were struck and later died from their injuries, one from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and the other from Kootenai County Fire and Rescue. A third firefighter was injured, underwent surgery, and is reportedly in stable condition.
More than 300 law enforcement officers responded to the scene and engaged in an exchange of gunfire with the suspect.
At about 7:40 p.m. last (Sun) night, deputies detected a cell phone activation in the area and later found a deceased man with a gun nearby. While the body has not yet been identified and a motive has not been determined, deputies believe he was the lone shooter in the deadly incident.
The brush fire burning near Canfield Mountain is estimated to be 15 to 20 acres in size on steep terrain.
According to the Idaho Department of Lands, additional resources including aircraft, heavy equipment, water tenders, engines, hand crews and a Type 3 Incident Management Team are on order and are expected to arrive to work the fire today (Mon).
