One firefighter was shot dead and another wounded when an off-duty firefighter colleague gunned them down at a Los Angeles County fire station.

Los Angeles County Fire Department chief Daryl Osby confirmed that a 44-year-old firefighter died and a 54-year-old fire captain was in a “critical but stable” condition.

Chief Osby confirmed that after the shooting the off-duty firefighter then returned to his home, set it on fire, and was later found dead at the scene.

“I never thought that it would be me or my department that would suffer this kind of loss,” he said.

“I never thought when our firefighters faced danger that they would face that danger at one of our community fire stations.”

“He was a brave, committed and loyal member of our department for 20 years,” he said of the dead firefighter.

The chief then said that the shooter was an “off-duty firefighter” who worked for his department.

“Following the shooting we learned that the firefighter returned to his house, barricaded himself, the home was set on fire and he was also found deceased,” he added.

Fire fighters were then called to a house fire in nearby Acton, California, which is believed to be the home of the suspect, where there are reports of a body at the property.

A law enforcement source said that the suspected gunman was a fire engineer with the LACFD, according to The Los Angeles Times.

“It is with heavy hearts that the LACoFD confirms that a tragic shooting occurred at approximately 10:55 a.m. today at FS 81 in Agua Dulce,” the fire department tweeted.

“The Dept. is still in the process of gathering additional information & are cooperating with law enf. throughout this ongoing incident.”

One of the shooting victims was reportedly taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia, California.

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department in Palmdale, California, has warned people to stay away from the scene of the house fire in Acton, tweeting that there is a “high volume of law enforcement presence in the area.”

Law enforcement officials say that after the shooting the suspect engaged with police at the home, where a body was later reportedly visible at the burning property.

The owner of the property is a veteran fire fighter, according to The Los Angeles Times.

Water-dropping helicopters were called in to extinguish flames at the home as law enforcement held back firefighters from the home until it was confirmed to be a safe scene.

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