KAUR DARLENE, Idaho (AP) — A man shot firefighters fighting the flames in northern Idaho after asking him to move the car, kill two and injure a third, the sheriff said Monday.
The man was on fire and the firefighters who rushed to put out the flames on Sunday found themselves in an unexpected shootout instead. They were hiding behind a fire truck, but two people died and a third were injured in a barrage of gunfires for several hours, authorities said. Cootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said the man appears to have committed suicide later.
This is a news update. Previous stories about the AP are as follows:
KAUR DARLENE, Idaho (AP) — As wildfires begin to quell panic in a small Idaho mountain community, a group of firefighters rushing to put out the flames find themselves in an unexpected shootout instead.
Smoke rose from a fire near Lake Kaul Dahlene, Idaho, and on Sunday, June 29, 2025, a corresponding firefighter was shot dead. (AP Digital Embed) On Sunday afternoon, June 29, 2025, law enforcement and emergency responders at Cherry Hill Park on 15th Avenue follow up with reporting an ambush shooting attack at Canfield Mountain in Coeur Reun, Idaho. (via Bill Buley/Coeur d’Alene Press AP) A procession from Kootenai Health Heads to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Spokane, Washington after a firefighter was murdered on Sunday, June 29, 2025. (via Bill Buley/Coeur D’Alene Press AP) U.S. Forest Service firefighters prepare gear in a staging area near Sheen on Monday, June 30, 2025, in Core-Dallene, Idaho, in the day after ambushing and killing multiple firefighters who responded to Wildfires in Canfield Mountain. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) On Monday, June 30, 2025, in Cole-Rane, Idaho, a line of Wildland Firefighters arrived at the scene the day after a shooter was ambushed and killed in response to a Wildfire in Canfield Mountain. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) On Monday, June 30, 2025, a fire-fighting helicopter flies through a wildfire scene at Coeur D’Alene in Idaho, the day after the shooter ambushed and killed him in response to a wildfire. (AP Photo/Lindsay Wasson)
The man who purposely set the fire on Sunday to ambush the crew was fired at the firefighters and was perched in the position of a sniper. They were hiding behind a fire truck, but two people died and a third were injured in a barrage of gunfires for several hours, authorities said.
The first responder sought urgent help on the radio at Canfield Mountain, just north of Coeur D’Alene.
Two helicopters converge in the area and armed with snipers ready to retrieve suspects if necessary, the FBI used his cell phone data to track him down, and the sheriff ordered residents to evacuate. They eventually find the suspect dead in the mountains, his firearms are by his side.
It is unclear how he died, and authorities have yet to disclose their motives.
The suspect was identified as Wes Loffeye, law enforcement officials told the Associated Press on Monday. The formula spoke about the state of anonymity as it was not authorized to discuss the investigation.
“We believe the suspect caused the fire, and we believe it was an ambush and intentional,” Cootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said at a press conference Sunday night. “These firefighters didn’t have a chance.”
The injured firefighter was stable after the surgery, saying he was “fighting for his life,” Norris said.
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“It’s difficult for firefighters, not only for police officers, when there’s an environment where you don’t know where the bullets are coming from because of the trees and planting,” Norris said.
Roily’s grandfather, Dale Roily, told Kxly-TV that his grandson was an avid hiker who worked for a tree company and was interested in forestry.
The pouring of support for the victims was swift in Kohl Dahlene, a city of 55,000 residents near the border with Washington.
A few hours after the ambush, people gathered along Interstate 90, bringing the bodies of two firefighters to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Spokane, Washington, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) from Coeur d’Alene.
Gov. Brad Little on Monday ordered us and the Idaho flag to be dropped to semi-staff to honor firefighters until the day after the additional service ceremony.
“All our security officers, especially firefighters, routinely bravely confront danger, but we have never seen previous firefighters see such heinous acts of violence,” he said in a statement. “This is not Idaho. This indescribable loss is deeply felt by all of the people in the fire community.”
The Idaho Republican leader said in a statement: “I was terrified by the murder of two Kaul Darene firefighters and shocked by such a vicious attack on his first responder.
The shelter order has been lifted, but the sheriff’s office warned residents to prepare as the fire was still on fire. Firefighters were still fighting the flames on Monday. This is a task that became difficult due to the burning of steep terrain that restricted the use of heavy equipment, the Idaho Land Bureau said in a news release. Approximately 26 acres (10.5 hectares) were burned.
Canfield Mountain is a popular hiking and cycling area on the outskirts of Coeur D’Alene, covered in trees and heavy brushes and with trails leading to national forests.
Fires have always been a concern for the area, said Bruce Deming, whose property is adjacent to the trail system. When he noticed smoke on the ridge on a Sunday afternoon, he wondered why the fire helicopters weren’t responding.
When a friend texted him to tell him about the shooting, he realized why he hadn’t seen the plane: “Because they’re worried about being shot,” he said.
As lawmakers set up posts nearby, Deming started them near his backdoor and pointed them on a trail that led directly to the fire location.
“I don’t need to wake up in the middle of the night to understand if someone is wandering around my place,” he said.
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