UPDATE 2 - 2 firefighters killed by shooter in ambush while responding to fire in US state of Idaho

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY SHERIFF, CHANGES BYLINE AND DATELINE

By Efe Ozkan and Merve Berker

ISTANBUL / Two firefighters battling a brush fire on Sunday were shot dead and one injured in the US state of Idaho when a suspect opened fire with a high-powered rifle. The suspected gunman was later found dead.

The incident began around 1.30 pm local time (1930GMT) after a small brush fire broke out on Canfield Mountain, according to ABC News.

When fire personnel responded to the 20-acre blaze, known as the Nettleton Gulch Fire, they started getting shot at by an unknown person in the woods, officials said.

Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said about 300 officers responded, and law enforcement exchanged gunfire with the suspect.

The FBI also sent assets to provide tactical and operational support, and SWAT and federal officers on scene came under "rapid sniper fire," said federal authorities.

According to Norris, support was offered from the White House, the FBI, Idaho Governor Brad Little, and Raul Labrador, the state’s attorney general.

Little called the attack "a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters."

- Cellphone data led to body of suspected shooter

Tracking data from a stationary cellphone helped lead authorities to a deceased male on Canfield Mountain with a firearm nearby, the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office later announced, leading authorities to lift a local shelter in place order.

The man, whose name is unknown, was also identified as the likely lone shooter at a press briefing.

The approaching fire required them to quickly remove the body and transport it elsewhere, said Norris.

The incident occurred at the Canfield Mountain Natural Area, a 24-acre park on the east side of the city of Coeur d’Alene featuring several hiking and biking trails.

Norris confirmed the deaths of a Coeur d'Alene firefighter and a firefighter from the Toobin County Fire and Rescue.

He said another firefighter from the Coeur d'Alene Fire Department had just come out of surgery and is in stable condition, fighting for his life.