Two people have been killed after firefighters responding to a blaze in Idaho were ambushed by a sniper. 

First responders faced barrages of gunfire over several hours in an attack the governor called a “heinous” assault.

Crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain, near Coeur d’Alene, around 1.30pm local time (9.30pm BST) and gunshots were reported about a half hour later, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said.

“We don’t know how many suspects are up there, and we don’t know how many casualties there are,” Sheriff Bob Norris told reporters.

“We are actively taking fire sniper as we speak.”