DENVER — An Idaho firefighter who was injured in a deadly ambush while responding to a wildfire near Coeur d'Alene landed in Colorado Tuesday to receive further treatment.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said firefighters first responded to a report of a brush fire at Canfield Mountain, a popular and scenic hiking and biking area near the outskirts of town, in the early afternoon of June 28. But once the firefighters arrived, someone began shooting at them.
The fire was set to lure the firefighters into an ambush, Norris said.
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Two battalion chiefs were killed in the attack — Frank Harwood, 42, with Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, and John Morrison, 52, with the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department. Their firefighting careers in Idaho spanned nearly half a century combined, according to the Associated Press.
Two helicopters converged on the area, armed with snipers ready to take out the suspect if needed, while the FBI used cellphone data to track him, and the sheriff ordered residents to shelter in place. They eventually found Wess Roley's body in the mountains, his firearm beside him. He had killed himself, Norris said.
Roley had once aspired to be a firefighter and had only a handful of minor contacts with area police, according to the Kootenai County sheriff.
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Firefighter / Engineer David Tysdal was injured in the ambush. On Tuesday, South Metro Fire Rescue announced that Tysdal had landed in Colorado to continue his recovery at a local hospital.
SMFR said first responders from agencies across the Denver metro area greeted Tysdal after he landed at the Centennial Airport. Video posted by the department shows a row of first responders clapping and waving at Tysdal as he is loaded into an awaiting ambulance. Tysdal acknowledged the welcome by waving his hand toward the crowd.
- Watch the full video below
Tysdal was then escorted to the hospital by fire trucks and other first responder vehicles.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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