Police find body of suspect, who they said started the fire intentionally to ambush first responders<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A man armed with a rifle intentionally started a wildfire and then began shooting at first responders in a northern Idaho<\/a> mountain community, killing two firefighters and wounding a third during a barrage of gunfire over several hours, authorities said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A shelter-in-place order was lifted Sunday night after a tactical response team used mobile phone data to \u201chone in\u201d on a wooded area where they found the suspect\u2019s body with a firearm nearby as flames rapidly approached, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,\u201d Norris said at a late night news conference. \u201cThese firefighters did not have a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sheriff\u2019s officials said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d\u2019Alene about 1.30pm, and gunshots were reported about half an hour later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Investigators said the gunman acted alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe believe that was the only shooter that was on that mountain at that time,\u201d Norris said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sheriff said the shooter used high-powered sporting rifles to fire rapidly at first responders, with law enforcement initially unsure of the number of perpetrators involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Department of Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem, has been briefed on the Idaho shooting, ABC News reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The state\u2019s governor, Brad Little, said \u201cmultiple heroic firefighters\u201d were attacked while responding to the fire. \u201cThis is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,\u201d he wrote on Facebook<\/a>. \u201cI ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three victims were brought to Kootenai Health, said hospital spokesperson Kim Anderson. Two were dead on arrival and the third was being treated for injuries, Anderson said. The wounded firefighter was \u201cfighting for his life\u201d after surgery and was in stable condition, Norris said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scene was described as sheer pandemonium as the brush fire burned and firefighters rushed to the scene only to come under heavy fire. First responders made urgent calls for help on their radios: \u201cEverybody\u2019s shot up here \u2026 send law enforcement now,\u201d one dispatch said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later on Sunday the bodies of the dead firefighters arrived in the nearby city of Spokane, Washington, escorted by a procession of fire and law enforcement vehicles. Firefighters<\/a> and others saluted as the vehicles passed by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though the shelter-in-place order was lifted, the sheriff\u2019s office cautioned residents to be prepared because the fire was still burning.
Coeur d\u2019Alene is a city of 55,000 residents near the border with Washington. Canfield Mountain is a popular hiking and biking area on the outskirts of the northern Idaho city, covered with trees and heavy brush and crisscrossed with trails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n