Coeur d'Alene Firefighters Unknowingly Enter Active Gunfire Scene

The firefighters didn't know they were driving into an ambush. Engine companies from the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department, Kootenai County Fire & Rescue and the Northern Lakes Fire District rolled toward Nettleton Gulch around 2:00 p.m. on June 29 responding to what dispatchers had logged as a brush fire on the west flank of Canfield Mountain. Within moments, multiple shots cracked out from the surrounding timber. Crews radioed that they were taking fire, dove behind their apparatus and halted suppression efforts entirely.

Two firefighters were killed. A third was shot and transported to Kootenai Health Hospital, which confirmed the admission to ABC News. Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris said during a press briefing that the two fatalities are believed to be fire personnel; authorities had not released the identities of either victim.

The 9-1-1 call reporting the brush fire had come in at 1:21 p.m. PDT, leaving crews fewer than 40 minutes to route toward what investigators now believe was a calculated trap. Sheriff Norris said evidence indicated the suspect, identified as Roley, had set the fire specifically to ambush first responders and had acted alone. Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Howard told ABC News that investigators were examining whether the blaze was intentionally started to lure crews to the scene.

The tactical response drew resources from across the region. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Eurocopter AS350 Écureuil helicopter equipped with forward-looking infrared worked the mountain alongside two Spokane County Sheriff's helicopters. An armored rescue vehicle from the region's multijurisdictional SWAT team was deployed on the ground. The FBI assisted Kootenai County authorities, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was briefed on the shooting, according to a DHS official.

At 7:40 p.m., SWAT officers located Roley dead in dense timber near the fireline. A firearm was recovered beside the body; the death appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

With the crime scene secured, Idaho Department of Lands crews hiked in between 7:30 and 10:00 p.m. to begin cutting a hand-line around a fire that had already grown to between 15 and 20 acres. Overnight the blaze expanded to roughly 26 acres of steep, timbered terrain, and smoke haze hung visibly over Coeur d'Alene the following morning.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little called the attack a "heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters," posting on X: "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."

The shelter-in-place order issued for the Canfield Mountain Trailhead and the surrounding area was lifted, though residents are advised to continue monitoring updates on the ongoing fire.

At a June 30 briefing, Kootenai County Fire & Rescue Chief Christopher Way announced that local police would accompany fire and EMS crews on every call "for at least the next several days" to bolster responder safety. The policy shift reflects how completely Sunday's ambush has changed the calculus for every emergency crew dispatched anywhere in Kootenai County.