COEUR D’ALENE, ID – Two firefighters were killed and another was seriously injured Sunday afternoon in what officials describe as an ambush on Canfield Mountain outside Coeur d’Alene. Authorities believe the incident began with a deliberately set wildfire, followed by gunfire aimed at responding fire personnel.
At a 9:30 p.m. press conference on Sunday, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said investigators located a deceased male suspect near the scene, with a firearm found nearby. The suspect’s identity was later released as 20-year-old Wess Rolley. Authorities believe he was responsible for both starting the fire and shooting at firefighters who arrived to respond.
Preliminary information indicates Rolley acted alone, and officials have not yet identified a motive.
The shooting resulted in the deaths of one Coeur d’Alene firefighter and one Kootenai County Fire & Rescue firefighter. A second Coeur d’Alene firefighter was injured, underwent surgery, and was last listed in stable condition, though “fighting for his life,” according to Norris.
The initial fire was reported at approximately 1:40 p.m. on Canfield Mountain in the Coeur d’Alene area. As firefighters began to respond, shots were fired around 2:00 p.m., prompting a law enforcement response and the issuance of a shelter-in-place order.
Due to the threat, firefighting crews were unable to access the fire for several hours. Access was finally granted around 7:30 p.m., after the suspect was located and determined to be deceased. At that point, fire crews began active suppression of the blaze, which was estimated at 15 to 20 acres and continued to burn in steep terrain.