Coeur d'Alene resident Linda Tiger, 80, tells the BBC she is shocked by the shooting.

“This has never happened here,” says Mrs Tiger, who has lived in the city for nearly 30 years.

“But it goes to show that that no one is safe from this kind of mental sadness.”

She says she has been staying indoors as “all Coeur d'Alene is supposed to shelter in place, but I see people walking around because they haven't heard the news”.

Coeur d'Alene is a city of around 56,000 people. It is near the border with Washington state.

Mike Crapo, a senator for Idaho, says on X that he is "monitoring the horrific reports out of Coeur d’Alene".

“I urge local residents to follow recommendations of law enforcement," the Republican adds in the post, external.

"My prayers are with victims and first responders.”

Crapo's fellow Idaho senator, Jim Risch, posts that he and his wife Vicki were monitoring events in Kootenai County.

"We pray for the safety of our brave first responders," says Risch, also a Republican.

Image source, Reuters

We're hearing from local police that least one active shooter was firing at law enforcement with a high-powered rifle near the city of Coeur d'Alene.

"We are actively taking sniper fire as we speak," said Sheriff Norris from the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office in press conference a short while ago.

"We don't know how many suspects are up there, and we don't know how many casualties there are."

He adds that the suspect or suspects show "no sign of wanting to surrender".

Idaho Governor Brad Little is warning people to stay clear of the area as law enforcement continues respond to the incident.

"This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters," he writes in a post on X.

Two people have been fatally shot in a mountain community in the western US state of Idaho while responding to a brush fire, say officials.

Kootenai County Sheriff's Office Robert Norris says at least one active shooter was firing at law enforcement with a high-powered rifle near the city of Coeur d'Alene.

"If these individuals are not neutralised quickly, this is going to be a likely a multi-day operation," says Norris, adding that officers had reported bullets coming from various directions. Residents have been asked to avoid the scene on Canfield Mountain.

Stay with us as we bring you current updates on the manhunt and investigation.