Who was Frank Harwood? Firefighter killed in Idaho shooting identified as Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief

Frank Harwood, aged 42, was identified as the Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief who lost his life in the Canfield Mountain shooting.

Frank Harwood, one of the firefighters killed in the tragic Canfield Mountain, Idaho, shooting on Sunday, has been identified as the Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief. He was 42.

Firefighters return from an area where two firefighters were shot dead while responding to a fire and the body of a man was later found with a gun nearby in the Canfield Mountain area outside Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, U.S. June 30, 2025. REUTERS/David Ryder (REUTERS)

Harwood had served the department for 17 years, dedicating nearly two decades of his life to public safety. A former combat engineer with the Army National Guard, Harwood was also a devoted husband and father of two.

At a press conference on Monday, Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Chief Christopher Way spoke emotionally about his colleague and friend. He was a “leader who did an amazing job,” Way said. “He was well respected.”

Authorities suspect brush fire was intentionally set to ambush firefighters

Notably, another firefighter was killed while responding to the brush fire on Canfield Mountain. Authorities now believe the fire was deliberately set to lure first responders into a deadly trap.

A third firefighter remains in critical but stable condition after undergoing surgery.

“This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance,” Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said. “We do believe... that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was intentional.”

The shooter, later found dead with a gun nearby, remains unclear whether he died by suicide or was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. The Idaho State Police and the local coroner’s office are investigating the circumstances of the deaths.

Chief Way described how the firefighting crew initially began suppressing the fire, doing what they had done “dozens of times in the past.” But this time, it was different. “They were ambushed, and they never had a chance,” he said.

Crews were forced to take cover behind trees and fire trucks, with some retreating higher up the mountain as gunfire rang out. The blaze spread to 20 acres overnight.

“This is an unimaginable tragedy,” Way said.

“June 29, 2025, is a day that we will not forget in this community. It is the day evil showed his face,” said Bruce Mattare, chairman of the Kootenai County Board of Commissioners, per NPR. “I cannot fathom why anyone would commit such a heinous act.”