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.

Two firefighters died and one was fighting for his life after a "total ambush" in Coeur d'Alene, authorities said.

By Brad Brooks and Costas Pitas (Reuters) -Two firefighters were killed when they were shot at while responding to a fire in northern Idaho, the Kootenai County Sheriff said on Sunday, with law enforcement officers still taking sniper fire and hunting for the killer.