Two firefighters were shot dead while responding to a fire in northern Idaho and the body of a man was later found with a gun nearby, the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office said on Sunday, as it lifted a shelter-in-place order.

Sheriff Bob Norris had earlier said law enforcement officers and firefighters were taking sniper fire and urged people to stay clear of the area around Canfield Mountain, a nature zone popular with hikers near Coeur d'Alene, about 260 miles (420km) east of Seattle.

"This evening, members of the SWAT team located a deceased male on Canfield Mountain. A firearm was found nearby," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

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"At this time, the shelter in place is being lifted, however there is still an active wildfire on Canfield Mountain. Residents in the area are advised to be prepared and ready should further action need to be taken."

The sheriff said the shooter had used high-powered sporting rifles to fire rapidly at first responders, with law enforcement initially unsure of the number of perpetrators involved.

They were in a spot "with heavy brush and they are well prepared and blending in with their surroundings," Norris added.

Law enforcement is investigating whether the fire could have been intentionally set in order to lure first responders to the scene, Kootenai County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Howard told ABC News.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been briefed on the Idaho shooting, ABC News reported.

Video footage from the scene had earlier showed smoke billowing from heavily wooded hillsides and armed responders preparing, while several ambulances and emergency vehicles were seen entering a nearby hospital.

"FBI technical teams and tactical assets are currently on the scene providing support," FBI deputy director Dan Bongino wrote on X. "It remains an active, and very dangerous scene."

Firefighters received the first call of a fire around 1.21pm (2021 GMT), Norris said, and about 40 minutes later, reports emerged that they were being shot at.

"This is a heinous direct assault on our brave firefighters," Idaho Governor Brad Little said on X. "I ask all Idahoans to pray for them and their families as we wait to learn more."

Gun ownership is widespread in the US, where the country's Constitution protects the rights of Americans to "keep and bear arms."

Deaths related to gun violence are common - 17,927 people were murdered by a gun in 2023 in the US, according to the most recent available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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