A man armed with a rifle started a wildfire Sunday and then began shooting at first responders in a northern Idaho mountain community, killing two firefighters and wounding at least one other during a barrage of gunfire over several hours, authorities said.

A shelter-in-place order was lifted Sunday night after a tactical response team used cell phone data to “hone in” on a wooded area where they found the suspect’s body with a firearm nearby as flames rapidly approached, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said.

Officials did not release his name, nor did they say what kind of gun was found, Associated Press reported Monday morning.

“We do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,” Norris said at a Sunday night news conference. “These firefighters did not have a chance.”

Sheriff’s officials said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d’Alene around 1:30 p.m., and gunshots were reported about a half hour later.

Investigators said the gunman acted alone.

“We believe that was the only shooter that was on that mountain at that time,” Norris said.

Three victims were brought to Kootenai Health, said hospital spokesperson Kim Anderson. Two were dead on arrival and the third was being treated for injuries, Anderson said. 

The wounded firefighter was “fighting for his life” after surgery and was in stable condition, Norris said.

The scene was sheer pandemonium as the brush fire burned and firefighters rushed to the scene only to come under heavy fire.

First responders made urgent calls for help on their radios: “Everybody’s shot up here … send law enforcement now,” according to one dispatch.

Governor Brad Little said “multiple” firefighting personnel were attacked.

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

Norris said it appeared the sniper was hiding in the rugged terrain and using a high-powered rifle. He said he instructed deputies to fire back.

Just as the evening press conference was expected to begin, the bodies of the slain firefighters arrived in the nearby city of Spokane, Washington, escorted by a procession of fire and law enforcement vehicles. Firefighters and others saluted as the vehicles passed by.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he will “get the conflict solved with North Korea.”

At an Oval Office event where he highlighted his efforts to resolve global conflicts, Trump was asked whether he had written a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as was reported this month.

Trump did not directly answer the question, but said: “I’ve had a good relationship with Kim Jong Un and get along with him, really great. So we’ll see what happens.

“Somebody’s saying there’s a potential conflict, I think we’ll work it out,” Trump said. “If there is, it wouldn’t involve us.”

Seoul-based NK News, a website that monitors North Korea, reported this month that North Korea’s delegation at the United Nations in New York had repeatedly refused to accept a letter from Trump to Kim.

Trump and Kim held three summits during Trump’s 2017-2021 first term and exchanged a number of letters that Trump called “beautiful,” before the unprecedented diplomatic effort broke down over U.S. demands that Kim give up his nuclear weapons.

In his second term Trump has acknowledged that North Korea is a “nuclear power.” The White House said on June 11 that Trump would welcome communications again with Kim, while not confirming that any letter was sent. – Reuters

President Donald Trump said on Friday he believes it is possible that a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas militants will be reached within a week.

Trump, at an Oval Office event celebrating a Congo-Rwanda accord, told reporters that he believes a ceasefire is close. He said he had been just been talking to some of the people involved in trying to reach a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave, Reuters reported.

Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza under any deal to end the war, while Israel says it can only end if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms.

The war in Gaza was triggered when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Gaza’s health ministry says Israel’s post-Oct.7 military assault has killed over 56,000 Palestinians. The assault has also caused a hunger crisis, internally displaced Gaza’s entire population and prompted accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice and of war crimes at the International Criminal Court. Israel denies the accusations.

Interest in resolving the Gaza conflict has picked up steam in the wake of the U.S. and Israeli bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities. A ceasefire to the 12-day Israel-Iran conflict went into effect early this week.

“I think it’s close. I just spoke to some of the people involved,” Trump said. “We think within the next week we’re going to get a ceasefire.”

He did not say who he has been talking to, but he has told reporters he was in near-daily contact with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the Israel-Iran conflict.

Trump’s surprise prediction of a possible ceasefire deal in coming days came at a time when there have been few signs that the warring parties were ready to restart serious negotiations or budge from entrenched positions.

A spokesperson for U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff’s office said they had no information to share beyond Trump’s comments.

Witkoff helped former President Joe Biden’s aides broker a ceasefire and hostage release agreement shortly before Trump took office in January but the deal soon unravelled.

The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer plans to visit Washington starting on Monday for talks with Trump administration officials about Gaza, Iran and a possible White House visit by Netanyahu, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Netanyahu said on Thursday the outcome of Israel’s war with Iran presented opportunities for peace that his country must not waste.

“This victory presents an opportunity for a dramatic widening of peace agreements. We are working on this with enthusiasm,” Netanyahu said in a statement.