Two people shot dead in Idaho while responding to brush fire

Two people have been fatally shot in a mountain community in the western US state of Idaho while responding to a brush fire, say officials.

Kootenai County Sheriff's Office Robert Norris said at least one active shooter was firing at law enforcement with a high-powered rifle near the city of Coeur d'Alene.

"We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak," said Sheriff Norris, adding that officers had reported bullets coming from various directions. Residents have been asked to avoid the scene on Canfield Mountain.

FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino said agents were responding to "provide tactical and operational support". Governor Brad Little posted on X that "multiple heroic firefighters" were attacked.

"This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters," said the governor. "I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more."

He added: "As this situation is still developing, please stay clear from the area to allow law enforcement and firefighters to do their jobs."

Sheriff Norris told a news conference that "we don't know if there's one, two, three or four" shooters at the scene, about four miles (6.5km) north of central Coeur d'Alene.

"We don't know how many suspects are up there, and we don't know how many casualties there are," he said.

Sheriff Norris said authorities believed the two people who were killed were firemen.

"I'm hoping that somebody has a clear shot and is able to neutralise, because they're not at this point in time showing any evidence of wanting to surrender," the sheriff added.

He told reporters there were civilians on Canfield Mountain, including hikers, so it "would be safe to assume" others are still up there.

The sheriff also said that the brush fire was still burning and they were unable to divert any resources to tackle the blaze because of the gunfire.

Sheriff Norris said the call about the brush fire came in around 13:22 local time (19:22 GMT) on Sunday. He said at 14:00, firefighters reported shots fired.

Local fire chief Pat Riley told TV station KHQ he was "heartbroken" by the attack.

Kootenai County Emergency Management Office sent an alert asking people to avoid the area around Canfield Mountain Trailhead and Nettleton Gulch Road, an area crisscrossed with hiking and biking trails.