Idaho firefighters killed: Gunman started blaze before ambushing two firefighters and shooting them dead in gun battle

A third firefighter was injured during a barrage of gunfire over several hours, authorities said.

A shelter-in-place order was lifted on Sunday night after a tactical response team used mobile phone data to home in on a wooded area where they found the suspect’s body with a firearm nearby as flames rapidly approached, Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said.

Officials did not release his name.

“We do believe that the suspect started the fire, and we do believe that it was an ambush and it was intentional,” Norris said at a Sunday night news conference.

“These firefighters did not have a chance.”

Sheriff’s officials said crews responded to a fire at Canfield Mountain just north of Coeur d’Alene around 1.30pm (8.30pm BST) on Sunday, and gunshots were reported about a half hour later.

Investigators said the gunman acted alone.

Three victims were brought to Kootenai Health, said hospital spokesperson Kim Anderson. Two were dead on arrival and the third was being treated for injuries. The wounded firefighter was “fighting for his life” after surgery and was in stable condition, Mr Norris said.

Mr Norris said it appeared the sniper was hiding in the rugged terrain and using a high-powered rifle. He said he instructed deputies to fire back.

Just as the evening press conference was expected to begin, the bodies of the firefighters arrived in the nearby city of Spokane, Washington, escorted by a procession of fire and law enforcement vehicles.

Firefighters and others saluted as the vehicles passed by.

The Idaho House Republican Leadership said in a statement: “We are horrified by the murder of two firefighters in Coeur d’Alene, and shocked by such a vicious attack on our first responders. We are praying for them, the injured, their families and their colleagues.”

Coeur d’Alene is a city of 55,000 residents near the border with Washington. Canfield Mountain is a popular hiking and biking area on the city’s outskirts, covered with trees and heavy brush and criss-crossed with trails that lead into a national forest.