COEUR D’ALENE, Idaho (AP) — A 20-year-old man’s life appeared to have begun to unravel in the months before authorities say he fatally shot two firefighters and severely wounded a third as they responded to a wildfire near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

As a wildfire began to sow panic in a small northern Idaho mountain community, a group of firefighters who rushed to put out the blaze instead found themselves in an unexpected shootout.

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.