Two firefighters were shot dead and a third wounded on an Idaho mountain when they were ambushed by a man who set the fire to lure them to the area, the local sheriff says.

The ambush on Sunday left two people dead and another injured, with gunfire erupting as firefighters responded to a brush fire on the mountain. Law enforcement officials believe Roley started the brush fire on Canfield Mountain and began shooting at first responders when they came to put the fire out.

Authorities say firefighters who rushed to put out a blaze in a northern Idaho mountain community found themselves instead in an unexpected shootout.