DENVER — An Idaho firefighter wounded in a deadly ambush while responding to a wildfire has arrived in Colorado for further treatment.
David Tysdal, a firefighter and engineer, was injured during a June 28 attack near Coeur d’Alene, where authorities say a brush fire was deliberately set to lure emergency crews into an ambush.
Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris confirmed that the fire on Canfield Mountain, a well-known hiking and biking spot, was intentionally started. Once firefighters arrived, they were met with gunfire.
Two battalion chiefs were killed in the attack: Frank Harwood, 42, of Kootenai County Fire and Rescue, and John Morrison, 52, of the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department. Together, they had nearly 50 years of service.
Law enforcement responded with two helicopters carrying snipers and used cellphone tracking to locate the suspect. Wess Roley, the alleged gunman, was later found dead in the mountains from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Roley had once aspired to become a firefighter and had minimal prior contact with police, according to the sheriff.
On Tuesday, South Metro Fire Rescue announced Tysdal’s arrival in Colorado for continued care. When he landed at Centennial Airport, first responders from across the Denver metro area lined up to welcome him.
A video shared by the department shows Tysdal being applauded and waved at as he was loaded into an ambulance. He acknowledged the crowd with a wave of his own.
Tysdal was then escorted to the hospital in a motorcade led by fire trucks and emergency vehicles.
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