COEUR d’ALENE — Nora Pierce was home near Miner's Loop and Shadduck Lane off Nettleton Gulch Road with her dog, Mowgli, on Sunday when her husband, Jim, alerted her that there was trouble on Canfield Mountain and that she should prepare for anything.     

“He said, 'There’s a fire on the mountain and we don’t know what’s going on. Get your .38 and go into the basement,'” Nora said.  

After some confusing reports from friends and family, she took Mowgli and went to stay at her mother's home for safety before the shelter-in-place order was issued by Kootenai County officials.  

Her son is a firefighter in Spokane and just finished training at the fire academy, so the fatal shooting of two firefighters and a third wounded hit close to home.  

“With typical firefighter training, I don’t think they expect to go out and risk themselves in the normal capacity and then be shot at by a sniper, it’s weird, it’s not our community,” Nora said. “It’s a horrifying experience that it could actually happen in my backyard over our back fence.”       

To Nora's surprise, the area outside the Pierce family home gate eventually became a staging area for law enforcement.

“I love our town and I cannot believe it would happen here,” Nora said.  

Jim Pierce turned his attention to the Nettleton Gulch Fire once the shooter was found deceased.

“The fire was my biggest concern,” Jim said. 

He said because he hadn’t opted into ALERT!, Kootenai County's notification system, he had to rely instead on being tipped off by friends who had signed up for the service.  

Other residents on Nettleton Gulch Road expressed surprise that the system didn’t push the notification to the geographic area like an Amber alert rather than relying on the opt-in system. 

His youngest son and he made their way back from golfing in Wallace and came home to keep watch from their property. 

“Me and my son just sat down and took our binoculars out to scan the hill to see if the guy was going to run and try to escape,” Jim said. 

The mountain was sealed off by law enforcement. 

“They had this place surrounded,” Jim said. “It was amazing how many law enforcement officers were coming to seal it off from the back.”  

Eva Waddell, of Spokane Valley, felt helpless after the shootings and knew the fire still posed a danger, so she racked her brain for ways to help her neighbors. 

"We have friends that are firefighters and former police officers and I was at the store and saw officers and firefighters. I asked myself what I could do. I decided to bring snacks and drinks to try and make a difference,” Waddell said. 

Fire update

The Nettleton Gulch Fire at Canfield Mountain, believed to have started Sunday by shooting suspect Wess Roley, was held at 26 acres by late Monday, the Idaho Department of Lands said.

There are no evacuations or structures at risk. Crews have nearly completed hand lines around the fire and are installing hose lays. The fire is burning through steep terrain in timber fuels. 

"Safety remains a top priority for the crews, with an abundance of snags on site, as well as the possibility of rolling logs and falling rocks," the release said.

Wildland firefighters from the Idaho Department of Lands and the U.S. Forest Service were on the scene throughout the day to assist with containment efforts.

There are five engines working the fire, two water tenders, three 20-person hand crews, one hot-shot crew and three helicopters. Four water scoopers have been assisting crews with water drops throughout the day. Additional resources have been ordered and are expected to arrive today.

A temporary flight restriction is in place and remains in effect over the Canfield Mountain area, the release said. 

The fire was reported at about 1:30 p.m. Sunday. 

    A helicopter circles around to come back after dropping water on the Nettleton Gulch fire in Coeur d'Alene. The fire area is about 26 acres and crews Sunday night were able to establish hand lines on two-thirds of the west flank. On Monday, firefighters worked on minimizing fire growth. There are no evacuations and no structures are currently deemed at risk as of press time.
 

    Jim Pierce came back to see the firefighting efforts near the Nettleton Gulch Road Fire on Monday afternoon. Nora Pierce, his wife, was home alone with their dog, Mowgli, at the time of the wildland fire and shootings Sunday. Jim was worried and told her to get her gun and go into the basement for safety.
  

    A helicopter with a bucket flies over Nettleton Gulch Road after dropping water onto the Nettleton Gulch fire on Canfield Mountain.
  

    Jim Pierce and Eva Waddell shake hands after Waddell dropped off supplies for first responders Monday on Nettleton Gulch Road.