SWAT officers had to rescue the body of a gunman from a fire he allegedly started in order to lure first responders to the scene and shoot them down.

The unidentified sniper was found dead with a firearm nearby on Canfield Mountain outside of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on Sunday evening after authorities honed in on a cellphone signal in the area, Kootenai County Sheriff Robert Norris announced.

SWAT teams then had to quickly move the body from the scene as the inferno he allegedly set as bait for first responders began to spread across the area.

The fire was first reported at around 1.21pm, and firefighters were still conducting reconnaissance on the blaze when they suddenly found themselves being shot at  around 2pm.

Two firefighters, one from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and another from Kootenai County Fire & Rescue, were killed on the scene. A third was also injured in the attack and is now ‘fighting for his life’ following surgery, but is in stable condition. 

Police are now investigating whether the gunman may have made the original call to 911 about the fire on Canfield Mountain in an effort to get firefighters to the scene, with Norris saying he is not ruling out the possibility. 

‘This was a total ambush. These firefighters did not have a chance,’ Norris said. The identity of the firefighters and shooter has not yet been released.