Two firefighters died and a third was seriously injured on Sunday on a northern slope of Idaho state after being shot during a forest fire. Authorities believe the shooter will have caused the fire deliberately to attract and ambush them. The suspect was found dead hours later, with a gun beside
What was supposed to be a simple response to a fire on a slope of Canfield Mountain in the north of Idaho state, became, within the minute, into an extreme violence scene.
Firefighters had been called to control the flames that plowed in dry vegetation when they began to hear the first shots. What followed was an ambush scenario: two firefighters were killed, a third was seriously injured. The gunman – it seems – will have caused the fire purposely, just to be able to attract the operational and trigger over them.
“It was a total ambush. These firefighters had no hypothesis,” he said, by the day, quoted by CNN International, the sheriff of Kootenai County, Bob Norris. The confirmation of the tragedy arrived at a brief press conference, loaded with tension.
The attack led to mobilization of a massive police device, including helicopters, Swat teams, FBI agents and even Idaho National Guard. For over an hour, agents believed to be facing multiple shooters – the shots seemed to come from various directions. The sheriff even declared real -time that they were being the target of “sniper shots” and asked for authorization to use lethal force if a clear opportunity arose. The shots continued even after police arrived at the scene.
The initial warning for the fire entered at 1:21 pm, local time. About 40 minutes later, with the firefighters on the ground, the radio panic arrived: “Send security forces already. Zone with shooting-one-dead-two-injured/” title=”<p><strong>Vancouver Mall Halloween …: One Dead, Two Injured</strong></p>”>active shooter. They are shot,” shouted one of the operational. “BC three is down. BC one too. It’s all shot.” The tone left no room for doubt – the zone burned, but it was the sound of the shots that overlapped everything.
At one point, the operation to combat the flames was suspended. It was impossible to continue without risking new casualties.
During the searches, the authorities issued confinement orders to the population of the area, asking everyone to avoid Canfield Mountain.
State Governor Brad Little described what happened as a “heinous and straightforward attack on our firefighters”, and asked Idaho inhabitants to pray for the victims and their families. “Teresa and I are heartbroken,” he wrote in a publication on the social network X.
Shortly before 8 pm, a mobile phone signal led investigators to the location of a body. It was a man, not yet identified, lying on the mountain, with a “modern” weapon next door. The agents could not preserve the place as they would like-the fire approached dangerously to the area. They collected everything they got.
The sheriff confirmed that there was an exchange of fire between the agents and the suspect, but it was no use if the man died by police firing or if it was suicide. What you know is that you died alone, and that there is no evidence of the presence of accomplices. “We have a dead gunman. There is no threat to the community at this time,” said Norris, stressing that the type of weapons and the trajectory of the shots indicate that it was an isolated attack.
The deadly victims belonged to the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and Kootenai County, respectively. The third shot firefighter was operated on urgent and, at the end of the day, continued to fight for life. The names have not yet been released. “We lost two exceptional professionals of the highest quality,” said Bruce Mattare, County Commissioner. “It is an absurd tragedy, impossible to describe in words.” The sheriff called for support for families. “They need everything.”
The priority now goes back to the place where the body was found as soon as the fire allows. Authorities believe they may find more weapons, possibly hidden or dropped during the suspect’s movements by the mountain. “There is a strong possibility that you have been shooting in motion of different positions,” said Norris. The area is contained and will continue under surveillance at night. The investigation will be resumed at dawn.
However, the fire that triggered all this – now named after Nettleton Gulch Fire He spread to an area of 15 to 20 acres. According to the Idaho land department, it is rugged terrain, with a lot of dead vegetation and difficult obstacles. The flames did not reach structures, but the fire fighting was compromised while the shooter was on Monte.
The operation resumes this Monday, with aircraft, heavy machinery, schist trucks, soil teams and a specialized command force. The priority is the fire again. But what will be from Canfield Mountain, for those who have been there, is the sound of the shots drilling the silence between the pines. And the absence of those who no longer come back.
