The authorities said a gunman started a wildfire to lure firefighters, and then ambushed them in a sniper attack, killing two and wounding a third.

Two firefighters were killed and one critically wounded in a northern Idaho shooting Sunday afternoon as they responded to a fire that authorities believe was intentionally started by the now-deceased gunman.

The firefighters were responding to the Nettleton Gulch Fire on Sunday afternoon in a popular recreation area at Canfield Mountain when a gunman perched in a sniper position began firing at them, Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris said.