Firefighters were ambushed by a gunman while responding to a brush fire in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, on Sunday, according to the local sheriff's office.

The suspect who police believe killed two firefighters Sunday after igniting a brush fire in Idaho with a flint fire starter wanted to pursue a career as a firefighter himself, his grandfather told CNN.

Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said firefighters first responded to an early afternoon report of a brushfire at Canfield Mountain, a popular hiking and biking area near the outskirts of town. A man began shooting at them after firefighters asked him to move his vehicle.