Firefighters in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, were ambushed by a gunman on Sunday while responding to a brush fire, ABC News reports.
Lt Jeff Howard of the Kootenai county sheriff’s office told the broadcaster 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 alertinitially 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.
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.
This is a developing story that will be updated as more information becomes available.
