Police said two firefighters died in the ambush.

Authorities said two U.S. firefighters were fatally shot and one-third were injured, a man intentionally opened fire and began firing at the first responder in a “total ambush” that lasted for several hours.

Investigators said the gunman acted alone and began firing after a fire broke out on Sunday afternoon in Canfield Mountain north of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Law enforcement officers and firefighters took over the sniper fire during the incident, and later a special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team “found a late male” close to the place where the attack took place.

Norris added that the fire increased to 20 acres after the first report and continued to burn until Sunday night.

“We do believe the suspects started the fire,” Norris said in a late-night press conference on Sunday.

“This is an ambush. These firefighters have no chance.

“We did lose an Alene firefighter and we did lose a firefighter from Kootenai County Fire and Rescue.

One third was “fighting for his life, but in a stable condition.”

Norris said firefighters received reports of a fire in the mountainside community around 13:21 PST (20:21 GMT) and about 40 minutes later, they were reportedly shot dead.

More than 300 law enforcement officers from New York City, county, state and federal levels responded to the shooting, including two helicopters with snipers.

The video shows smoke floating on a dense wooden hillside.

Norris said the shooter fired at first responders using a high-powered sports rifle, initially uncertain about the number of perpetrators involved.

After an hour of gunfire, it was discovered that the suspect used his mobile phone location information. Norris said it was not clear whether the suspect committed suicide or was hit by an officer.

Authorities will not provide more details about the recovered weapons, but said officials may find more guns at the scene on Monday once the fire is put out.

The motive for the shooting is unclear and Norris provided no details about the suspect.

Two firefighters were killed and the third injured has not been found.

About seven hours later, people are reminded to stay at their property or current location in an emergency rather than evacuate to another area.

Canfield Mountain is a popular area among hikers about 260 miles (420 kilometers) east of Seattle.

Norris said the preliminary investigation determined that there was only one gunman because it was earlier thought that there might be as many as four gunmen.

He said the gunman seemed to run while shooting, and it might be different to have weapons hidden.

CBS News, a U.S. partner at the BBC, said the team had struggled due to smoke from wildfires.

Norris added that due to the aggressive fire, investigators had to search the scene quickly and their information was still “very very, very preliminary”.

“The fire is approaching that body quickly. We have to scout the body and transport that body to another location,” he said.

Officials called on the public to stay away from the airplane and not to drive drones on the scene.

The union owner of a firefighter confirmed that two of his members were killed in the attack.

Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Alliance, posted on X: “Earlier today in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, members of the Iraf were ambushed with heinous violence.

Local fire chief Pat Riley told TV station KHQ that he was “heartbroken” about the attack.

The case was shocked by the people living in Coeur d’Alene, a city of about 56,000 people close to Washington State.

Linda Tiger, an 80-year-old Coeur D’Alene resident, told the BBC that she was shocked by the shooting.

“This has never happened,” said Mrs. Tiger. He has lived in the city for nearly 30 years.

“But it shows that no one is safe from this psychological grief.”