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.

A man who had intentionally set the fire to ambush the crew on Sunday was perched in a sniper position, firing at the firefighters, according to the AP. They took cover behind firetrucks, but two died and a third was wounded during a barrage of gunfire over several hours, authorities said.

Three victims were transported to Kootenai Health, though two were dead on arrival, according to hospital spokesperson Kim Anderson. One of the deceased was a firefighter from the Coeur d’Alene Fire Department and the other was a firefighter from Kootenai County Fire and Rescue.