Firefighters ambushed by gunman in Idaho while responding to brush fire | Idaho

Firefighters in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, were ambushed by a gunman on Sunday while responding to a brush fire, the state’s governor, Brad Little, said.

“Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho,” Little wrote on Facebook. “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. Teresa and I are heartbroken.”

Lt Jeff Howard of the Kootenai county sheriff’s office told ABC News firefighters were responding to a small but growing blaze on Canfield Mountain when they started getting shot at by an unknown person in the woods.

Kootenai Country Emergency Management issued a shelter-in-place alert, initially for Canfield Mountain Trailhead and the surrounding area, that was later expanded to everyone south of Hayden Lake Road, and east of 15th Street in Coeur d’Alene.

“As this situation is still developing, please stay clear from the area to allow law enforcement and firefighters to do their jobs,” the emergency management office told the public.

“Multiple firefighters are injured,” Pat Riley, the Northern Lakes Fire Protection District chief, told KHQ, a local broadcaster. The fire chief added that fire suppression efforts had been halted until the area is secure.

A large number of law enforcement vehicles flooded the area, including US marshals, according to a photograph posted on social media by the news director of the local broadcaster KXLY.

The same outlet reported that hundreds of law enforcement and fire personnel had established a command post in Cherry Hill dog park.

Officers are investigating whether the fire might have been intentionally set in order to lure first responders to the scene, Howard told ABC News.

Firefighters responded to a wildfire burning at Canfield Mountain at about 1.30pm local time, and came under fire about 30 minutes later, the Kootenai county sheriff’s office said in a statement posted on Facebook late on Sunday afternoon.

“An active investigation is happening and suspect is still outstanding. There is still an active fire in the Canfield area,” the sheriff’s office said. “Please avoid the area and follow all shelter in place notifications”.

More details soon …