A terrible act of violence transpired from what started as a response to a little brush fire on Canfield Mountain in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

According to local authorities, a shooter ambushed two firefighters Sunday afternoon, killing one and badly injuring another.

”Everybody’s shot up here”

After being sent to a wildfire close to a well-known outdoor recreation area in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, on Sunday afternoon, a number of firemen were shot by an anonymous shooter.

According to audio that CNN was able to get, a firefighter hurriedly requested for assistance over the radio, telling EMS, “We need law enforcement up here immediately.”

Firefighters responded to reports of a small brush fire at 1:30 p.m., which is when the incident started. Shots came from the bushes around half an hour later. Apparently, an unidentified attacker had been waiting.

“It’s clear to me that this fire was set intentionally to draw us in,” the firefighter said.

“Send law enforcement right now, there’s an active shooter zone,” he added.

“Everybody’s shot up here.”

Two people were killed.

According to ABC7, Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris revealed during a news briefing that the two people murdered are thought to have been firefighters.

The International Association of Fire Fighters, the organisation that represents firefighters, said in a statement posted on X that members were singled out while responding to a fire in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

The post reads, “While responding to a fire earlier today in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, IAFF members were ambushed in a heinous act of violence.”

It goes on to say, “Two of our brothers were killed by a sniper, and a third brother remains in surgery. Please keep them, their families, and law enforcement in your prayers.”

Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris disclosed the hazardous and tight circumstances his staff is working in during a press conference on Sunday night.

“We are actively taking sniper fire,” he stated, emphasizing the severity of the unfolding crisis.

“This is a very, very fresh situation,” Norris added.

Suspect found dead

A SWAT team later found a dead man on the mountain with a gun close by, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office. It is thought that the man is the culprit in the fatal shooting.

The terrifying prospect that the fire was started on purpose to trick emergency personnel into falling into a lethal trap is being looked into by authorities.

“We’re looking into whether the fire may have been used to draw first responders to the scene,” Kootenai County Sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Howard told ABC News.

Ed Davis, the former commissioner of police in Boston, told CNN that receiving a report about firefighters being shot at is “the worst case scenario” for law enforcement.

According to him, the “chilling audio” was an obvious indication that individuals needed rapid rescue and that lives were in imminent danger.

”Almost like a battlefield scene”

“You feel for the firefighters that were calling that in,” Davis said, “because there were literally people that were bleeding to death on the ground, and they were pinned down behind their fire truck. So very troubling situation, almost like a battlefield scene.”

A DHS official informed ABC News that the FBI has joined the probe and that the Department of Homeland Security has also been briefed.

The shelter-in-place order that had been in effect for the Canfield Mountain Trailhead and the surrounding regions has been withdrawn. However, because of the current fire situation, locals are still advised to stay vigilant.

Idaho Governor Brad Little condemned the attack as “a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters.” In a statement on X, he added, “Multiple heroic firefighters were attacked today while responding to a fire in North Idaho. I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.”