A man who had intentionally set the fire to ambush the crew on Sunday was perched in a sniper position, firing at the firefighters, according to the AP. They took cover behind firetrucks, but two died and a third was wounded during a barrage of gunfire over several hours, authorities said.

The suspect who police believe gunned down two firefighters Sunday after starting a brush fire in Idaho wanted to pursue a career as a firefighter himself, his grandfather told CNN.