OFFICIALS have revealed how they honed in on the suspected gunman who started a wildfire in the mountains as a sick ploy to lure firefighters to their deaths.

Hundreds of first responders raced to stop the shooter on Sunday as he darted through the rugged northern Idaho terrain and killed two firefighters with sporting rifles.

The tragedy unfolded at 1:20 pm when crews responded to calls that a fire had broken out at the Canfield Mountains near Coeur d’Alene.

About thirty minutes after they arrived, a sniper on the mountain took aim at the firefighters and started opening fire, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said.

Crews begged cops for help after they were ambushed, and over 300 first responders flooded the chaotic scene as the fire continued to burn through the brush.

Authorities exchanged gunfire with the suspect until he was tracked down around 3:15 pm through a cellphone signal.

When a SWAT team finally found the sniper about an hour and a half later, he was dead, and a hunting rifle was beside his body.

Officials were able to identify him through the weapon, but his name hasn’t been released, NPR reported.

It’s unclear how the shooter died, and cops haven’t clarified whether he turned the gun on himself.

He killed two firefighters in the shooting and injured a third. The hurt crewmember was in critical condition, but is now stable after getting emergency surgery.

Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris has described the attack as an “ambush” that was planned to kill firefighters.

“These firefighters did not have a chance,” Norris said in a press conference on Sunday night.

Officials believe the gunman was acting alone and said that the community was safe after he was found dead.

However, the wildfire continued to burn, and residents living near the Canfield Mountains were told to stay on alert.

The fire burned through the crime scene and destroyed evidence, but officials quickly nabbed the body and weapons before the flames reached them.

They planned to continue their investigation on Monday morning.

SHOOTING HORROR

Disturbing radio calls streamed on Broadcastify captured the firefighters’ desperate plea for help after the gunfire began.

One first responder was heard saying, “Everybody’s shot up here […] Send law enforcement now,” the Associated Press reported.

Governor of Idaho Brad Little called the shooting a “heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters,” he wrote on X.

“I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more.”

According to Norris, the shooter was able to evade gunshots by hiding in the rugged terrain.

He yelled at the first responders to shoot back at him, according to the sheriff.

Canfield Mountain is a popular spot for hiking and biking. Terrified visitors were still fleeing the scene when the shooting started, officials said.

Brian Hadley was riding his bike around the mountain to train for the race when a friend told him about the fires.

After he turned around, he heard three gunshots and found law enforcement in the parking lot urging him to leave.

“It’s heartbreaking,” he told The New York Times.

Emotional community members saluted on Sunday night as a motorcade carrying the firefighters’ bodies rode through town before the press conference.

Bruce Mattare, the Kootenai County Commission chair, said, “June 29, 2025, is a day that we will not forget in this community.”

“It is the day evil showed its face and we lost two outstanding professionals of the highest quality, and I cannot fathom why anyone would commit such a heinous act.”