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Coeur d'Alene shooting: Was Athol fire set to lure Idaho firefighters? Officials respond amid active shooter alert
Multiple firefighters were shot while responding to a brush fire, dubbed Athol fire, in Coeur d’Alene
Multiple firefighters were shot while responding to a brush fire, dubbed Athol fire, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Northern Lakes Fire Protection Chief Pat Riley confirmed to CNN affiliate KHQ on Sunday. Kootenai County deputies are on the scene and are urging all residents to avoid the area immediately amid the active shooter alert. The wildfire is still active.
Police and fire scanners in Idaho reported that the fire was set intentionally to lure in firefighters, several of whom were then shot. The exact number of victims has not yet been confirmed.
Read More: What happened in Kootenai County? 'Intentional fire' and shooting reported in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Was the Coeur d'Alene fire set as bait for firefighters?
The unidentified shooter reportedly set the fire for firefighters as ‘bait’. They began firing as soon as first responders arrived at the scene. “Major situation in Coeur d’Alene right now. Please pray for firefighters and police, and people living in the area. This appears premeditated and planned. Sick,” one local wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Multiple police officers and firefighters were reportedly shot while responding to a fire in Idaho in what authorities have described as an ambush. The unidentified shooter reportedly set the blaze as bait for the first responders in Coeur d'Alene and began firing as they arrived on the scene,” another scanner added.
Read More: Myrtle Beach Shooting: One dead, another injured and suspect arrested in late-night incident
A firefighter at the scene, according to local media reports, said: "It's clear to me that this fire was set intentionally to draw us in".
Kootenai County Emergency Management, meanwhile, issued a shelter-in-place warning to locals about the scene.
“If you are in the are of Canfield Mountain Trailhead / Nettleton Gulch Rd. area in CDA, SHELTER IN PLACE. If you are not, AVOID THE AREA due to Law Enforcement activity. Continue to monitor reliable sources for information, we will update with more information as soon as we receive it,” the department said in a social media post.
