Police Responding to Shooting in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

At least two people were killed in Idaho on Sunday afternoon after firefighters were ambushed in a sniper attack as they responded to a fire call in a rugged mountain area, the authorities said.

Officials said that it was unclear how many shooters might be involved but said that emergency workers were still being shot at. Sheriff Robert Norris of Kootenai County said at an evening news conference at about 4:30 p.m. that the number of casualties was unknown and “we are actively taking sniper fire as we speak.”

“We don’t know who the suspects are,” he said. “We don’t know how many there are.” He added: “We don’t know if it’s one, two, three or four.”

“If these individuals are not neutralized quickly, this will likely be a multiday operation,” he added. Meanwhile, the fire that initially led to the response continued to burn.

Sheriff Norris said that the authorities were taking “rapid fire out there.” He added it appeared that “high-powered rifles” were being used and the shooters were in “heavy brush, well prepared, they are blending in with their surroundings.”

Canfield Mountain Natural Area, near where the shooting happened, is a city park on the eastern outskirts of Coeur d’Alene, with a system of trails through steep mountain terrain, used by hikers, mountain bikers and motorcyclists. Hikers were still making it off the mountain as the gunfire continued, Sheriff Norris said.