Donations will support the families of the two firefighters killed and the one critically injured during the Coeur d’Alene ambush. Funds will cover funeral costs, medical bills, grief counseling, and long‑term support through firefighter relief foundations and local first‑responder charities.
In late June, firefighters responding to a brush fire on Canfield Mountain near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, were intentionally ambushed. A 20‑year‑old man ignited the blaze and opened fire from a sniper position. Battalion Chiefs Frank Harwood (42) and John Morrison (52) were killed instantly; engineer David Tysdal (47) was critically injured. The gunman was later found dead from an apparent self-inflicted wound after a five-hour standoff. Authorities described it as a “total ambush,” targeting unarmed first responders engaged in legitimate duty.
Responding to a 9‑1‑1 brush fire call, crews from Coeur d’Alene Fire Department, Kootenai County Fire & Rescue, and Northern Lakes Fire District arrived on site around 2 p.m. and asked a vehicle to move. Almost immediately, gunfire erupted. Investigators later determined the blaze was set deliberately to lure them into a kill zone on the mountain’s western slope. Using a 12‑gauge shotgun, the assailant fired repeatedly, catching the firefighters off guard. Harwood and Morrison died at the scene; Tysdal radioed desperately, “I’m inside the rig… I can’t move,” before being evacuated.
The shooter, identified as 20‑year‑old Wess Roley, remained at large for hours, prompting a shelter‑in‑place alert and a multi‑agency manhunt involving SWAT teams and helicopters. His location was tracked via cellphone, and authorities found him dead around 7:40 p.m. amid nearby flames, a shotgun at his side. The resulting Nettleton Gulch Fire burned roughly 23–26 acres before being fully contained days later.
This senseless ambush shook the firefighting community nationwide, prompting Idaho’s governor to order flags flown at half-staff and the IAFF to provide peer‑support teams. Investigators continue to probe Roley’s motive, though none has been confirmed to date. Chilling and unacceptable, this deliberate assault on first responders demands community support to help the affected families rebuild amidst tragedy.
