Firefighter Shoots Up Fire Station Before Fleeing, Setting Own Home Ablaze, Reportedly Killing Self

An off-duty Los Angeles County firefighter reportedly opened fire on Tuesday at a Santa Clarita firehouse, killing a colleague and critically wounding another before fleeing, setting his own house on fire, and shooting himself dead in California.

County fire officials confirmed that a 44-year-old firefighter was killed while a 54-year-old fire captain sustained serious injuries following the fatal shooting at Fire Station 81. The suspect, an off-duty firefighter, was later found dead at his Acton property from self-inflicted gunshot wounds.

The shooter reportedly fired at his fellow firefighter at the Agua Dulce station just before 11 a.m., leaving another, a fire captain, wounded. The captain was not believed to be targeted in the shooting, which allegedly stemmed from a dispute between the attacker and the slain colleague, reported KABC.

It is reported that four people were working at Fire Station 81, about 45 miles north of Los Angeles, at the time of the shooting.

The 44-year-old shooting victim, who served the county fire department for more than two decades, succumbed to his injuries at the scene. Meanwhile, the wounded captain was flown by helicopter to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia, where he underwent surgery. He is now recuperating in critical yet stable condition.

Authorities said that during the initial 911 alert from the fire station, the caller was able to identify the attacker by name.

Following the vicious shooting attack, the off-duty officer then fled the scene in a white Toyota Tundra pickup truck and drove to his home in the 2600 block of Bent Spur Drive, according to witnesses.

Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies, in an armored vehicle, followed the truck to the Acton address, about 10 miles from the shooting scene, shortly after 1 p.m., sparking a police standoff.

Law enforcement department SUVs and armored SWAT vehicles were also parked in the Bent Spur Drive neighborhood when the Acton home burst into flames, Fox News noted. Neighbors watched the black plume of smoke rise as flames ravaged the home after the suspect had deliberately set it on fire.

At some point during the standoff, the suspect, who had barricaded himself, reportedly threatened police that there were weapons on the property and he wouldn't hesitate to open fire if they approached him.

Responding deputies said that they later located the suspect's lifeless body floating in a pool outside the home. Officials have yet to confirm his cause of death but noted that no officers opened fire on the suspect during the standoff, according to KNBC.

It led authorities to suspect that the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot.

Water-bombing helicopters were deployed to the Acton scene to put out the flames. No other structures were reportedly damaged.

"I stand here with a heavy heart," said county Fire Chief Daryl Osby at an afternoon briefing. "Today is truly a sad day and a tragic day for the Los Angeles County Fire Department."

Law enforcement said that it's still too early to determine a motive but noted that a case of workplace violence is being investigated.